Demon of Makai
by Sayaka M
Summary: R&K 3. Sequel to Reunited. Adding RW. Michael’s sisters escape the orphanage and end up at the Higurashi shrine. A demon that eats humans has made a portal to Ningenkai, and the Spirit Detectives have to stop him. Something unexpected happens, and the Det
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, here's the new story. It has a bit more STN in it, but not a lot. Also, we're adding RW! For those of you who don't know what that is, that's okay. It's been years since I've seen it, so my info might be a little off. Oh, and before I foget again:**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything in here except a few random characters here and there.**

**Full Summary: Adding RW. Michael's sisters escape the orphanage and end up at the Higurashi shrine. A demon that eats humans has made a portal to Ningenkai, and the Spirit Detectives have to stop him. Something unexpected happens, and the Detectives are saddled with more company than they were supposed to have. Not quite so much Inuyasha in this one.**

&&

**Demon of Makai**

It was only two weeks into summer vacation, and everyone in the Higurashi household was getting used to being lazy. Well, as lazy as the tourists would allow them. Kagome never knew how many people were interested in looking around her family's grounds and hearing about the legends. It was a good thing she remembered the stories that her grandpa told her, even if she wasn't paying attention at the time.

"Kagome, can you help us out?" asked the voice of Michael Lee, the oldest person living at the shrine.

"Coming," she called back to him. It was another busy day at their place, and it was getting hot. Grabbing the water bottles she came in for, she carefully opened the door and lugged them over to the refreshment table. "Here," she panted, dropping the boxes of water on the table.

"Thanks," Michael said distractedly, already setting them into the coolers.

She shook her head at his single-mindedness. But then again, that's what made him a good person to work with; he gets things done when he puts his mind to it. It wasn't fun trying to talk to him since half the time he doesn't hear you, but he keeps things running smoothly. Kagome didn't know what they would do without him. Looking at her watch, she winced inwardly. _It's almost time for me to take another group on a tour of the place. Best get moving, I guess._

Quickly walking through the crowd, she passed Sota and his group of tourists. He also remembered the stories their grandpa told them, so he did tours as well. He was only in fourth grade, but he knew a lot more than the others, not counting Kagome. _He's doing so well_ she thought with pride. _I'm glad we were able to get him here._ She quickly got out of that train of thought. _I will not think about our other family._ Meaning their mother and grandpa. They were in England, with the man their mother married. Looking up, she saw that the group she would be accompanying was ready to go.

"Welcome to the Higurashi Shrine. I'm Kagome Higurashi, your tour guide. If you'll follow me…" and they were off.

&&

Robin smiled as she handed a customer her water bottle and change. "Enjoy your stay here," she chirped. _This is going to be one of our more prosperous days. I just know it. I'm just glad that we aren't doing this by ourselves._ People from school were helping them take care of the place since school let out. They needed summer jobs, so they worked in the shrine. The residents of the shrine were grateful for the help, and the students were happy with earning money. _I know they wonder how we make enough to live here with so few of us working._

Money was never an issue for them. Most would think it strange that none of them had a job aside from caring for the shrine and still lived comfortably. However, what they didn't know was that they basically had a "money tree" at the shrine in the form of Kagome. Right before her family left for England, they had discovered that the Shikon Jewel made her tears form into Hiruseki Stones, like the tears of the Koorime, or ice demons. As they were rare stones, they sold for lots of money.

"Daydreaming?" asked a voice behind her.

Whirling, she found herself face-to-face with Inuyasha, the dog hanyou. "What are you doing there?" she demanded.

"You didn't seem to be focusing on what you were doing, so I thought I'd come and see what's going on."

"Aren't you supposed to be walking around the area, pretending to be Inuyasha, the demon that was part of the group looking for the Shikon no Tama?" she asked, her hands on her hips.

"I was, but I decided to come and bother you instead."

"What will happen if Kagome finds out you were shirking your duty? Then what?" she challenged.

He looked a little nervous. "You wouldn't!" he exclaimed.

"Oh, wouldn't I?" she teased. "I suggest you continue doing your job."

"Fine, fine," he grumbled and went on his way, but not before stealing one of the water bottles. "Bye, Robin."

"Hey," she shouted indignantly at his retreating back, "Stay away from my water!"

He only laughed and continued on his merry way to wherever that may be. _What a guy,_ she thought. _He can be so serious at times, but he's just like a puppy at other times. I guess that's what happens when you're an inu hanyou._

A new customer jerked her out of her thoughts. _Time to get back to work._

&&

The day was finally over. The tourists left with the sun, so they picked up the trash and called it a day. The helpers left when everything was picked up. Now the only people present were the ones that lived in the Higurashi Shrine.

Kagome looked at the people around her. _There are so many people here now. When the only people here were the Higurashis, there were only four of us. Now, there's two former STN members, my friends from the Sengoku Jidai, Serena, Hiei, Sota, and myself._ Actually, the shard hunters from the Feudal Era couldn't really be counted, as they didn't live in the Higurashi Shrine.

Reflecting on her new "family", she realized how fortunate she and Sota were to know these people, especially Robin and Michael, the two STN members. _Robin's a lot more generous than most people I know. She gave the shrine back to Sota and me; well, me, but Sota's my brother, and this is his home too, so it's as much his as it is mine. It just happens to be under my name._

When the summer had started, Robin said that she would like to give the shrine back to the "true owners of the Higurashi Shrine". At first, Kagome didn't want that, as Robin was the one that made it possible for them to be here in the first place, but then she and Michael pointed out that it would be for Robin's safety as well as her generosity that it should go back to them. If the STN-J found out where she was, they would come for her. After hearing that, Kagome agreed. Michael then hacked his way into whatever it was that named "Robin Sena" the owner of the shrine and changed it to "Kagome Higurashi". This way, the STN wouldn't find out that a "Robin Sena" was in charge of it, and come investigate. It would be horrible if they found her. She was a kind person, and Kagome felt that she was the sister that she never had.

"Hey, Earth to Kagome, do you copy?" asked Serena, waving a hand in front of her face.

"What?" She looked up into the other girl's concerned face. "Sorry. I was spacing out."

"The mail's in, and you have a letter." She handed Kagome the paper and went to Michael with the bills; he was the only one who understood them, so they let him deal with the money management. Opening the seal, she saw that it was from her cousin in Toyama.

"Hey," she said aloud, "my cousin Mia was wondering why we haven't visited her in a while. I don't think she knows that Sota and I are the only Higurashis left here."

"Why don't you tell her?" asked Sango from her position in the armchair, rocking her son. Miroku was holding their cooing daughter.

"I don't know how she'll take it. She was close to us until about three years ago, when she just stopped contacting us. Now we get a letter asking why we haven't been in touch."

"I'd like to see her again," Sota announced. "She was always nice, and brought stuff with her."

"I'll call and see how she's doing. She and her grandfather were living together last time I checked," said Kagome, rising from the couch. "I'll tell y'all what's going on when we're finished."

Going to the phone, she dialed her cousin's number and waited for someone to pick up.

"Hello?" asked the voice of a young boy.

Surprised, Kagome stuttered a bit before asking, "I-is M-mia Koji there?"

"Um, just a minute," the voice said. In the background, she heard him ask, "Where's Mia?"

"In the study, where else?" a deeper voice answered. It was a male voice, but not the voice of her grandfather. This only confused Kagome more.

She heard a faint knock, then a door open and the young voice said, "Mia, there's a call for you."

Her cousin's tired voice came floating out of the phone. "Hello?"

"Mia? This Kagome Higurashi."

"Kagome? This is Mia. How are you?"

"I'm fine, just a bit confused. Who was the person that answered the phone?"

"Oh, that was just Yuli. His parents died, so he lives here now."

"Oh."_ I'll ask about the other voice later. Maybe it was her grandfather._ "We just got your letter. It has been a while since we've seen each other, hasn't it?"

"It has. I was just thinking about how much time has passed since you've come down." Amusement came into her voice.

"Well, we've been busy. Why haven't you and your grandfather come to see us?"

There was silence on the other end, until… "I've been busy, and Grandfather died three years ago."

This shocked Kagome. "I'm sorry! I didn't know; no one ever told us."

A sigh was heard on the other end. "It's not as bad as it was when it first happened. I would have told you, but one thing led to another, and I had no time to do anything anymore. But enough about me. How are things at the shrine and the family?"

Kagome hesitated a bit before responding. "Well, Mom remarried, and she, her new husband, and Grandpa left for England."

Gasp. "You mean, you and Sota are the only ones there now!"

"Oh, no," she hastily assured the older woman, "we aren't alone. There's some friends of ours that stay here with us and help look after the shrine. You don't have to worry about us."

"Are there any adults there?"

"Um…" _Miroku!_ "Yes," she told Mia while convincing herself that Miroku, while he didn't actually live there, was there at the moment, and _he_ was an adult. Well, she wouldn't exactly call him the most responsible person there, but he was twenty, so he was technically an adult. "Hey, why don't you come visit us?" she suggested, trying to change the subject. "Like you said, it's been a while since we've last seen each other."

"You know, I think I will," came her cousin's slow reply. "I need a break from this place."

"Just to warn you, this place is considered a tourist attraction, so we have to work for most of the day almost every day."

"That's fine." Her voice became hesitant. "Is it okay if I bring a few people? They're getting bored, and need something to do."

"Bring whoever you want," Kagome replied. "We can use all the help we can get. All help is welcome."

"Thanks." Relief colored Mia's voice. "I really don't trust them to not destroy the house while I'm gone."

"What do you mean?" queried Kagome.

"Oh, it's nothing," replied Mia quickly. "When should we come?"

"When's the earliest you can get here?"

"It'll take a few hours, but we can go tomorrow. I remember the way to the shrine, so I'll just drive."

"Good luck. And if you get lost, just call, and we'll try and get you here safely."

"Okay. I think dinner's almost ready, so I have to go. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow and whoever you're bringing as our new slaves."

"Okay, bye."

"Bye." They hung up.

Upon entering the kitchen to eat with the rest of the household except for Hiei, she sat down and told them what was happening the next day.

"So your cousin's coming with some people to help us work?" asked Michael.

"Yeah, she misses us and probably wants to make sure that we're being taken care of. She was always looking out for us when we were younger."

"How old is she?" asked Robin, passing the mashed potatoes to Serena.

"I think she's twenty. I'm pretty sure that she's bringing the boy, Yuli, with her."

"How old is he?" Sota wanted to know.

"I'm not sure," she said honestly. "And there was another guy's voice. At first I thought that maybe it as her grandfather, but then she said he died three years ago."

"He and Yuli are probably the ones she doesn't trust," said Sango while trying to make sure that her daughter didn't steal any real food from the table.

"You could be right," mused Michael. "Then again, maybe she meant some of her friends that have house keys."

The rest of dinner was spent talking about how their day went. She noticed that Robin and Inuyasha shared a meaningful look at one point, but didn't pry. It wasn't any of her business, after all. When she was finished and tired of hearing the others talk, she put her dishes in the dishwasher and went upstairs to get ready for bed. She had just gotten out of the shower and was brushing her wet hair when a knock came.

"Kagome?" Sota's voice asked.

"Come in," she called, not taking her eyes off the mirror in front of her. Hearing the door open, she turned to face her little brother. "Is there something you need?"

"Mia's really going to come her tomorrow? Isn't that a little, um, soon?"

_He looks seriously worried. What's bugging him?_ She took a deep breath. "She needs a break from her current surroundings, she said. I guess she really meant it. She sounded tired on the phone, but then again, it is late, so maybe she was busy today."

"How many people do you think are coming with her?"

_Aha! That's what's worrying him. I forgot he gets nervous around too many strangers. He's only comfortable around our new housemates because they've been here awhile._ "I'm not sure. Probably only Yuli and the other guy. Is that what's bothering you?"

"No, of course not!" He was lying, obviously.

Laughing, she shook her head slightly; she didn't want to get her whole room wet after all. "You can't lie to me. I know that you've been afraid of strangers ever since you were born. This is really bothering you, isn't it?"

He hung his head, defeated. "I guess you're too good at reading me," he whispered ruefully.

"Darn right! Now, I'm sure that if you leave them alone, they'll leave you alone. Granted, you'll have to interact with them a bit. If they need something and come to you, you'll have to tell them what they need to know. Or," she reflected, "not know." He knew what she was talking about. "Do you think you can talk to them without losing your cool?" she asked jokingly.

"I think maybe I can," he responded, mimicking her tone. "Thanks for talking. See you tomorrow."

"Good night, Sota," she called as he shut her door. Turning to her window, she opened it and went back to her mirror, trying to untangle her hair. _Why can't my hair just be smooth all the time and save me a hurt head?_ She groused inwardly.

"What's going on?" asked a voice from behind her. She turned to face Hiei, her "son" who currently sat on the bed.

"My cousin is coming tomorrow with some people to help us out."

"Hn." _I do hate it when he does that._

"So, when are you going to tell the others that you've been 'found'?" she asked, changing the subject.

He sighed. "I'm not sure. I know I should, but still…" he trailed off.

"Why don't you go tell them now?" she suggested. "You've had all the time in the world, and still they don't know."

"But," he started to say, but she cut him off.

"No, you've been given plenty of time, now go and tell them." She pointed towards the door and gave him a look that said if-you-don't-go-then-you-are-in-big-trouble.

"Then you're coming with me," he stated and went for the door. Reluctantly Kagome followed. In the end, she had to lead because he didn't know where they were staying. Upon reaching their destination, she had him knock and explain everything. At first, Sango and Miroku didn't believe him, but eventually they got them to believe.

When Sango screamed and threw herself at him, the entire household came rushing in, and he had to explain everything all over again. By the time they were all done welcoming him back and berating him for not telling them sooner, there wasn't much time to sleep, as it was already five in the morning, but they all went to bed anyway. There wasn't much hope for sleep, though, and they all got up at six except for Sango and Shippo, who were tired out from babysitting.

"Um, the booths need to be set up," stated Robin nervously when she had finished eating. "I'll go do that."

"Wait for me," called Kagome, who hurried after her. _We're all nervous. We're not sure how things will work when Mia and her group come later today. And Hiei being reintroduced last night didn't help the tension any._

"If it makes things go smoother, I can disappear for a while," Hiei's voice came from right behind her. Whirling, she saw his concerned face.

"Hiei, whether you're here or not won't make things go any smoother. My cousin's coming today, and they're nervous about it. I'd like for you to stay with us if you'd like to stay."

She didn't even have to ask. The relief was evident in his stance. "If I'm not the cause, then I'll stay. What am I to do to help with the, um, tourists?"

"You can do whatever Michael tells you. He basically directs everyone here."

"Okay, then. I'll go ask once the booths are set up."

They worked mostly in silence. After a while, the other members of the household joined them and put up their sections. Sango tried to help, but was shooed back into the house by the others to care for her twins. The same was done with Shippo, who was appointed to help Sango and the newborns. At nine o'clock, the student helpers arrived and manned their "stations". Thirty minutes later, the first tourists arrived.


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry about not updating earlier. On Saturday, my time was devoted to All-State auditions, and Sunday there was someone over, so I had no time. I'll try to do better next week. Don't expect an update on Saturday; I have a 12-hour practice, from 9 to 9. If I don't update Sunday, it'll mean that I died. Anyway, enjoy.**

&&

It was two o'clock and hot as Hades. Kagome had to keep running into the house and get water and ice; at one point, they ran out and Robin had to run to the store and buy loads of both. There was still a crowd, but they weren't moving very far from the drink booths. And, of course, they ran out of water and ice again. Robin volunteered to get more, but Kagome, needing a break, said she'd go. _I need a change in scenery anyway._

On her way down the seeming-endless stairs to the shrine, she saw yet another car pull up. _Who would want to travel in this heat?_ she wondered.

The passenger side opened, and a young boy hopped out. He didn't just get out; he literally jumped out of the car. Then a woman, maybe his mother, got out of the driver's side, and five boys followed from the back. _They don't look too happy,_ she noted idly, still making her way down the stairs. The next thing to get out made her stop, however. A white tiger gracefully came around the back of the car to one of the five boys, who petted it. Kagome stood frozen on the stairs, debating whether to run back up and call the police, or stay still and hope it didn't feel like eating sixteen-year-olds. Apparently seeing her predicament, the woman walked up the steps to where Kagome stood.

"Excuse me," she started, "but do you know if the Higurashis are in?"

"Um, I'm Kagome Higurashi. Can I help you?" Her voice shook, her eyes never leaving the tiger.

"Kagome? I'm Mia Koji, your cousin."

Now Kagome tore her eyes from the white man-eater. "Mia!" She threw her arms around her older cousin. "It's been a long time."

Mia returned her hug. "It has been a while. As you can see, I brought the boys so I could keep an eye on them."

Breaking away from Mia, Kagome looked at her cousin and asked in a strained voice, "A tiger, Mia?"

"I couldn't leave him in the house by himself!"

"A tiger, Mia?"

"Where would I put him?"

"A TIGER, Mia!"

"He'll be good, I promise. If he isn't, then his master will have to answer to me." Her eyes took on a scary glint.

"I don't know how well this will sit with everyone else," Kagome tried to warn her cousin. _But what about Kirara?_ asked the voice in her head that she long ago identified as her conscience. _They put up with her. And besides, if the tiger gets out of hand, Kirara is more than a match for him._

"We'll make sure he doesn't bother anyone," Mia pleaded.

"Fine," Kagome gave in. "But if it gets out of hand, it gets the boot."

"Done," Mia readily agreed.

"If you follow the steps, you'll find the tourist set-up. Just ask the helpers for either Robin Smith or Michael Lee. They'll get you settled. I have to go for ice and water. This is the second time we've run out today." She shook her head in exasperation. "We can't just stop selling cold water in this heat."

"No," agreed Mia. "If you want, you can just use my car, as it's already out there."

"Really? Could I?" Kagome's eyes were shining.

"Sure. Here's the key."

_She is so nice._ "Thanks." Kagome skipped down a few steps, but then slowed considerably as she was that much closer to the tiger and the other people in the car. She was dragging by the time she got there, and stopped five feet from the rest of the people. "Um, hi, I'm Kagome," she managed to get out.

They nodded at her, but didn't say anything. She swallowed and continued. "Mia, um, let me borrow her car to get some water."

They still said nothing, only getting out of her way and watching her back up and drive away. _Geez, they're creepy._ She shuddered. _They could've at least said "Hello"._

After just about buying all the ice and water from the store, she drove back as fast as she could and started to unload. Staggering to the top with as much ice as she could carry, she spoke to the nearest helpers to have them start bringing up more of the ice and water. With a lot of help, all the drinks were brought up in ten minutes. She had yet to see the new people, but that didn't worry her. _Now I need to do the guided tours again. Oh, joy._

&&

When Kagome went to get the new water and ice, Robin was selling her water to the thirsty customers and hoping that she made it back in time. _She'd better hurry, or we'll be in trouble._ Even now, another person was making her way over to her. "Can I help you?" she asked politely.

"Yes, I'm looking for either Robin Smith or Michael Lee. Do you know where they are?" the woman asked.

Alarmed, but trying not to show it, Robin said, "Why are you looking for them?" _Please don't be the STN,_ she prayed.

"I'm Kagome's cousin, Mia Koji. She had to run, so I was told to ask for Robin or Michael. They would tell me what to do."

Robin sighed with relief. "I'm Robin. I'm assuming that you need help in taking everything inside?"

"Just tell us where to put our stuff, and we'll be good and ready to work."

_I like this girl. She's a lot like Ms. Karasuma._ "Well, it can be confusing, and I still don't know my way around the place to just tell you where you need to go. I'll just show you. Um, how many rooms do you think you'll need?"

"How many rooms do you have?"

"As many as you need."

Mia seemed a little hesitant now. "Um, I need to talk to the boys, and I'll get back with you."

Smiling, Robin assured her, "I'll be right here, so take your time."

"Thanks." Mia started down the stairs, but she didn't go down the whole way. Robin knew this because she heard her voice shouting, "Hey! Get up here! I'm not going to walk down all these stairs and come up again."

About ten minutes later, Mia came up with a young boy in tow. "We'll need four rooms. Is that okay?"

"Sure. Let's just get your stuff and I'll get you set up."

She followed Mia and the boy to the steps and, just like Kagome, froze at the sight of the white tiger surrounded by five teenage boys. Mia, noticing that Robin wasn't following her anymore, sighed and apologized.

"I'm sorry. I keep forgetting to warn people about Whiteblaze. He's basically harmless."

This didn't do much to reassure Robin. _BASICALLY harmless!_ "Um," she stuttered, stalling for time. "I didn't know you had a tiger with you."

One of the boys surrounding it spoke up. "He won't hurt anyone. I'll keep him under control." He might have been trying to reassure her, but his tone and expression were on the cold side.

"Uh, okay," she stammered, trying to regain the use of her legs. "Um, let's just get your bags, then, shall we?"

Lucky for them, they had taken the bags out before Kagome drove off with them. Gathering what bags she could, Robin led them back up the stairs, much to the boys' displeasure, and into the house. Once inside, she navigated her way around to the stairs and marched to a guest room.

"Did you want to stay next to each other?" she questioned.

They nodded, not speaking. Indicating which rooms they had to choose from, she watched as they took their stuff and went in. Then, a thought occurred to her a bit late. _Wait, two of these rooms are joined by a door. Oops._ She waited for someone to come out and demand why their rooms were connected. To her surprise, nothing of the sort came. In fact, they didn't say anything. _What is with these guys?_ she wondered in irritation. _It's like they're mute, except that boy spoke to me earlier. Well, I guess I should just be happy that they don't work for the STN._

"We're all set. What would you have us do?" asked Mia, breaking Robin's train of thought. Her other companions were looking at her, waiting for orders, it seemed like.

"Well, what we need right now is Kagome to come back with the water, but until then, you can help sell food and souvenirs. Is that alright?"

They all nodded. _What is it with them and not saying anything?_ "Then follow me." She led them down to the booths and randomly assigned them places to be. With that out of the way, she returned to her spot in the water booth and waited with rapidly disappearing patience for Kagome to come back. Her happy nature reasserted itself, however, once people started bringing water and ice with them to where she was. _Now, back to work._

&&

_Sunset at last,_ Kagome thought in relief. _My legs and back are killing me, and it being hotter than normal didn't help anything. All we have to do now is clean up the trash around the place and go in. I don't think there's going to be a storm tonight, so leaving everything out should be okay._

The others shared her thinking, and everyone went home a lot sooner than they usually did. Sango had managed to get dinner ready for everyone before they came in. It was a noisy affair, as it usually was since people wanted to tell about how funny this person was, or how someone did something amusing. The only ones who didn't talk outside their group were the five teenage boys that came with Mia; the little one was chatting animatedly with Sota, Kohaku, and Shippo.

Trying once again to be polite, she turned to the closest one and asked, "So, what do you think of this place?"

The boy, his sea-green eyes showing uncertainty, answered in his accented Japanese, "Um, it's nice, I suppose."

"You aren't from around here, are you? Japan, I mean."

He looked down shyly. "No, I am an exchange student from England. Mia kindly let me stay with her while I finish high school here."

_Interesting._ "Are doing okay at understanding what everyone's saying?"

"Sort of. It's sometimes hard to understand what everyone's saying when they speak too fast."

"Well, if you want to talk in English to someone who will understand, talk to Robin. She's from Italy, but she said that she had to learn English and Japanese at the same time since she didn't know if she'd be coming here or going to America. I don't know much English, but I'm trying."

"Thank you," he said, looking slightly overwhelmed.

"I think I should introduce you to someone else, too. His name is Shuichi Minamino. He doesn't live here, but he comes to help us out sometimes. He's smart, and I'm pretty sure he can help you with anything you want to know."

"Thank you," he repeated, looking even more overwhelmed at all the new information.

"Not a problem." She grinned. "So, what's England like?"

&&


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry about not updating last week. I had a 12-hour practice on Saturday, and my sister had the computer all day Sunday.**

**Angel452: Yes, they will eventually find out about the Spirit Detectives, but not in this chapter. Inuyasha and the others have left, just like they're supposed to. There'll be more Ronins in this chapter.**

**Fuyu Taki: So, you changed your name. I like it. Amarine Nightshade. Has a nice ring to it. Anyway, I reread the part you were talking about, but on my computer, it says that he doesn't live at the shrine. That might be just my computer, though.**

&&

They were close. Too close. Jordan watched with her enhanced vision as workers looked for her around the premises of the orphanage. _Pathetic weaklings,_ she thought to herself. _They couldn't even run for a mile without having to slow down at some point._ But she wasn't here to mentally insult the guards and workers that looked for her. No, she had something else in mind. She would find her sister, and then the two of them would make a break for it.

She and her sister Crystal had been at the orphanage for almost five years. They were put in this one because their mother died when they were only eleven. Their relatives weren't notified, or else it was said that they and their older brother had died with her. How they explained it, Jordan didn't know. All she knew was that her brother had been taken by people from the government, her mother got sick, died, and she and her twin sister were stuck in an orphanage, also called the slave camp by the orphans living in said camp.

Their lives went downhill once they came here. Rumors abounded of how bad life was at orphanages, this one in particular. But as all rumors are, it wasn't the truth; it didn't even begin to describe the horrors that happened in here. They were beaten, just as the rumors said, but something happened when the beatings were done. There was no sign it ever happened. No cuts, bruises, abrasions, nothing. The children didn't even remember what happened inside, only it hurt a lot. Many times they would have gone to the police, but there was no proof to back them up. They couldn't discuss anything with the other "residents" of the place because there was always a worker around who could hear and report. Someone did talk about it. Once. The following night there was a tragic "accident" where the kid had been hit by a "drunk driver". The kid died, but the driver was nowhere to be found. Everyone learned the lesson.

Something the rumors didn't tell was that this place was primarily a place for foreigners to purchase "workers" and then leave. It was illegal, but they paid lots of money and it was kept quiet. While the children remained at the orphanage, they worked for Momiji, the owner of the orphanage, and when they left, the unlucky ones worked as slaves to their owners. Most of the owners made up the upper class in Africa.

This fate was the one she and her sister faced in two days. A slave owner in Africa had bought them yesterday, and was coming to look at them (he and Momiji had done the selling and buying over the phone). When Jordan had gotten wind of this, she immediately started planning on their escape. Stocking up on supplies was her first thought. All day she had "borrowed" food from the kitchen and was hiding it around her room when she had a chance to go up. She didn't have a chance to tell Crystal about it since Jordan herself didn't know about it until that morning when she'd overheard two workers talking about it, and she hadn't seen her twin since they had gotten up. At the moment, it was almost midnight, and her sister still wasn't back from whatever it was she was doing.

Jordan growled in frustration. _She could be just about anywhere. This place is huge, and for all I know she could be back in our room and I wouldn't know it!_ Luck decided to look favorably on her in that instant, however. Just below her Crystal staggered towards the searching workers. Dropping lightly to the ground, Jordan pulled her sister to one side and hissed, "Where have you been?"

"Cleaning the kitchen took longer than normal. Someone spilled the barbeque sauce all over the floor, and it just about stained whatever it touched. It took forever to get it out. Why?" she quietly shot back.

"We have to leave. I found out this morning that we've been sold to some high-class Africans, so we need to leave ASAP."

"I have to get my stuff," Crystal protested, not willing to give up the last keepsakes of her former family.

"I got all of it up on one of the roofs. Let's go." Jordan scaled the wall, followed by her sister.

They gathered their stuff and jumped from one roof to the next while trying not to make much noise. Unfortunately, when they were almost home free, one of Crystal's feet slipped a bit and caused a loose piece of slate to go crashing down onto the head of one of the searchers. He went down with a yelp, causing others to look at him. Seeing the slate, they looked up and put two and two together.

"So much for a quiet getaway," grumbled Jordan, earning herself a glare from Crystal.

"How was I supposed to know there was a loose slate there?" demanded Crystal as they sprinted over the last roof and, jumping down, shot down the street like there was no tomorrow.

"It's not your fault, but I wish your foot had chosen the slate next to that one." They didn't bother talking for a long while as they charged down the road and into the trees.

"Let's take the high road," suggested Crystal. "It leaves less tracks." Her sister nodded, and the two of them made their way up into the trees and commenced traveling on the "high road". This they did for a few hours until they ran out of trees. It was around two in the morning, but, surprisingly or not, there were people around, which wasn't a good thing. It looked like they were "together", but it wouldn't do for someone to see them.

"Are you going to try and scare them?" asked Crystal bemusedly when Jordan moved forward.

"Just a little. Don't let them see you." She winked and stalked towards them.

The guy was the first to notice her. He froze, terror written all over his face. The ditz he was with couldn't figure out what was wrong with him.

"What's wrong, love?" she asked, oblivious to the fact that he was staring behind her. "Is there something on my face?"

Jordan growled a bit. The ditz turned. And shrieked. That jerked the guy out of his funk. They ran out of the park, screaming, "There's a monster in the park!" She laughed as they ran, and Crystal came out of the coverage of the trees.

"That's not nice, calling someone a monster," she commented, looking at Jordan.

"I know. Where do people's manners go?" Jordan replied, shaking her head in mock sadness. "You'd think they'd never seen a tigress before." Her ears showed that she was amused by their reaction to her, as did her tail.

"There'll probably be police swarming this place shortly, so let's get a move on, shall we?" Jordan nodded, reverting to her normal form. They ran for the hills, so to speak. They were running, but it wasn't toward any hills. The lights of the city called them. Knowing that they were being followed, though, caused them to stay away from the popular places for people to go.

"What time is it?" asked Jordan, who was barely able to keep her eyes open.

Her twin looked at her watch. "It's almost four. We need to get some rest. I don't know about you, but I have to sleep."

Jordan nodded. "Where do you suggest we stay? Just pick a place that doesn't have a lot of people around. I'm not picky."

Crystal took her sister by the wrist and guided her to the base of a tree in a different park than the one they had exited earlier. (They didn't have any money, so it's not like they could've stayed anywhere else.) Setting their stuff down, they sank down to the roots of the tree and fell asleep.

&&

The same night that Jordan and Crystal were making their escape, the five teenage boys with Mia were in one room, talking.

"Tell me again why we're here," complained Kento, a burly Chinese boy.

Rowen, the brainiac of the bunch, answered him. "Because Mia thought that we'd have torn the house down. You have to admit, her fears are well-founded." That last remark was aimed at the black-haired Ryo and his tiger, Whiteblaze. "Between the two of you there've been times that the house almost did collapse on us."

The angel-looking one of the group, Sage, laughed. "They aren't the only ones." He sent a pointed look towards Kento.

"It's not me," he said defensively. Now everyone was looking at him. He hung his head in defeat. "Okay, okay, so I missed a few times and hit the wall instead. It's not that big a deal." They were still looking at him. "Fine, so I tend to eat a lot too! That wouldn't have destroyed the place."

"You'd have eaten all the food in the house, and then we'd have to use all her money to buy more food. Then you'd eat it all, and we'd have to go buy some more. We'd all be out of money by the time she came home, and have to live as paupers for the rest of our lives," put in Ryo.

They all laughed at this since they knew it was true, even Kento. Only Cye seemed to be a little out of it. Ryo, noticing this, called, "Hey, Cye, you okay?"

His head jerked up. Apparently he had startled the young Brit. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Kento, sensing something off with his best friend, came over and got him in a headlock. "So, what did you and the hot chick talk about at dinner?"

"Kento!" He struggled futilely against his bigger friend, but failed to get free. "We didn't talk much. She just said that Robin, the girl that showed us the room, spoke English, and another boy she knew might know it as well."

"Who is she?" asked Rowen.

Cye frowned. "Um… I don't know," he said sheepishly.

Ryo came over to him and slapped him sideways. "You idiot! You talk to a cute girl and you don't even get her name? What is wrong with you?"

Now Cye had to fend off both Kento and Ryo. "Hey, guys, stop it. I just forgot, okay? It's not that big a deal."

"At least they have cute girls here," sighed Sage. "It'll be the only highlight of what's left of summer vacation. I don't see why Mia didn't wait until school was started again to visit her cousins."

"Because if she did then she would've had to take us out of school," answered Rowen. "You all know she isn't willing to do that, so during the summer is the only time she could go."

"Well I would've gone on a trip myself if I'd had a bit more warning," said Sage hotly. "I don't really appreciate being uprooted with less than twelve hours' notice and being replanted somewhere that isn't remotely familiar to me."

"Well, there's nothing we can do now," said Ryo firmly. "I think we should at least try and make the best of this."

"I still don't see why Mia couldn't have left us back at the house," whined Kento while still holding a struggling Cye in a headlock. "We would've behaved."

"You'd have tried to behave," chided Rowen. "Trying and actually succeeding are two different things."

"Yeah, yeah," Kento brushed his friend's words aside. "I would've done it, though."

Finally getting fed up with his complaints, Ryo stood up and said, "It's done and over with, so let's not talk about what we can't change." Whiteblaze roared his agreement.

"Ryo!" called the irritated voice of Mia.

"Okay, Mia," he called back. "I think we'd better keep it down. What time is it?" They all looked around for a clock.

Sage, being the first to find the clock, looked and let out a low whistle. "It's almost one thirty, guys. I think it's time to hit the sack." He looked meaningfully at them. They all got the message; they were in his room, and he couldn't sleep if they didn't leave.

"Okay, Sage-buddy, we'll leave you to get your beauty sleep," said Kento while following everyone else out the door.

"Thanks," they heard him call sarcastically before the door closed right on their backs.

"You know, I'm glad that it's Sage sharing a room with Rowen," commented Ryo as he went to his door, which was across from Cye and Kento's. "I've been his roommate before, and it's a chore and a half getting him up in the morning."

"Tell me about it," agreed Kento fervently. "Our Rowen is definitely not a morning person." He had been on the receiving end of Rowen's bad temper more than once, as the other two knew full well. "Good thing Sage has the patience of a saint, and a temper to match. Most of the time," he hastily amended.

"Too true," agreed Ryo. "See you guys tomorrow. Night." He carefully opened the door and walked in to get a decent night's rest.

&&


	4. Chapter 4

**Just in case anyone was wondering, Jordan and Crystal aren't actually Michael's sisters. They're "my characters". They're actually real, as in they go to school with me, but they aren't twins, and they aren't sisters. Crystal's last name isn't even Lee. I just felt like adding them in, and they agreed, so I did.**

**Angle452: Yes, Jordan and Crystal will end up at the shrine. The Ronins will somewhat find out about them, but not just yet. We'll see a bit of the STN-J later, but not a lot. There'll be lots of Spirit Detective work in this one, and not a lot of Inuyasha, which is why I'm debating taking this story down and putting it under the Yu Yu Hakusho genre instead of Inuyasha. Jordan…is just Jordan. She always describes and draws herself as a tiger, so I just put it in here. I put a reason in, but not until later.**

&&

Kagome woke early and went to the kitchen to start breakfast. _Maybe I can spare Robin some of the work,_ she thought. _She's been cooking for all of us ever since…well, for a long time. Who knows, maybe I'll be the only one in the kitchen._ Alas, it was not to be.

"Sango!" she exclaimed in surprise, seeing her friend in one of the chairs, holding her daughter.

"I've been thinking," she started. "We really need to name these little ones."

This shocked Kagome. "You mean you haven't even named them?"

The taijiya sighed. "Miroku and I couldn't figure out what to name them. Besides, children dying in the early days of their life aren't all that unusual. With your help, though, they've survived, and they're healthy. I think they should have names."

Kagome sat down beside her. "Do you have an idea of what their names should be?"

"Sort of. But Miroku and I couldn't decide on any."

"She's right, we couldn't," agreed a voice from the doorway. Miroku entered and sat by his wife. "Do you have any ideas?"

Kagome sat back. "Did you agree on any names?"

They looked at each other. "Well, for our daughter, we were debating Taberyu, Misao, and Michiru."

"Okay, um, what's your favorite?"

"We're not sure. We just narrowed the names down to those three."

"I personally like the name Misao." She looked at them for their reaction.

Miroku took his sleeping daughter from Sango and lifted her up, looking mock-formally at her. "From here on out, your name is Misao." He lowered her and placed her back into her mother's waiting arms. "Now our son. We've favored the names Makikazu, Yosho, or Taichi."

"Hm. Those are hard to choose from." She frowned. "I don't know what to say."

"The first one, Makikazu, sounds good," said Robin as she breezed her way into the kitchen and started getting food ready. "Of course, that's only my opinion."

"Any objections?" asked Sango. The other two shook their heads. "Then Makikazu it is."

"Where is Makikazu?" Kagome asked, not seeing him with either of his parents.

"Kirara's watching him," Miroku assured her, casting nervous glances at Sango.

"Oh, that reminds me," murmured Robin from her place in front of the stove, "Is it just me, or does Kirara seem to be a little…off?"

"What do you mean, 'off'?" asked Sango.

"She's acting strangely. More careful, you know?"

"I've noticed," affirmed Kagome. "I wonder if something's wrong with her."

Sango now looked genuinely worried. "I'll go back upstairs and see how she and my son are." With that being said, she handed the newly christened Misao to her father and went up the stairs. A few seconds later she came back down, a lot faster than she had gone up. "I think she's sick. Can I borrow some towels or something like it?"

Kagome wordlessly handed a bunch of hand towels to the distraught taijiya. She said a quick "Thanks" and hurried up the stairs back to the sick ka-neko. "I hope she's okay," whispered Kagome to Miroku.

"I doubt it's anything that will threaten her life," Miroku whispered back.

"There's no need to whisper in here," Robin said as she bustled around, getting things ready to be eaten. "It's not like she can hear you or anything."

"That's true," agreed Kagome, raising her voice. "Did you need help with anything?"

"Sure. You can set the table." Kagome jumped to do as she was told.

All was ready when Sango came back down with Makikazu. She still looked worried, though. "I think Kirara shouldn't move today. I'll have to look after her."

"That's fine. I'll look after the kids," offered Kagome.

"I'll help, too," Robin volunteered.

"Thanks, guys," Sango said gratefully. "Did you need help with anything right now?"

"We're finished. All you have to do is sit down and eat," commanded Robin. They all sat down and obeyed the queen of the kitchen. "You know, I'm surprised that no one is here yet aside from us."

"It's strange," Miroku agreed. "What time is it?"

"It's…oh. It just turned five."

They all looked at her in shock. One thing ran through Kagome's mind. _It's only five in the morning! What am I doing up that early?_ "Why did I get up so early?" she asked aloud.

"Why did any of us get up this early?" Miroku asked in puzzlement.

"Who knows. Maybe it was fate," suggested Robin.

Before any more could be said, the boy Kagome spoke with last night at dinner appeared, looking slightly dazed. "Um, good morning," Kagome greeted him.

"Oh, good morning," he responded, still looking dazed.

"Did you want breakfast?" asked Robin, playing the part of hostess.

"Um, sure," he replied. But instead of heading for the table, he went right for the stove.

"Breakfast is already made," said Robin, looking surprised. "Unless, of course, you don't like it. I can make something else, if you want."

He shook his head and turned to them. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "I'm just used to making the food, so it's kind of a habit." He sat down at the table and began to eat. He looked surprised when he took his first bite. "This is good!" he exclaimed.

"Thank you," Robin laughed as she watched him. "A cook is always glad to get compliments."

Kagome took a seat next to him and asked, "So do you normally get up this early?"

"Sometimes," he said. "Not usually, but sometimes."

"You wanted to meet other people who spoke English, right?"

He nodded. "Well, the cook, Robin, is one." Turning to look at said cook, she said, "This young man is from England, and would love to talk in English sometime."

"Okay," Robin replied. Sitting down in the other seat next to the boy, she asked in English, "What do you think of Japan?"

He turned to her and the two of them began chatting in English. Kagome, feeling like she wouldn't be missed, left to go and set up the booths with Miroku and Sango. They managed to get everything done by six thirty. By this time everyone else was up; well, almost everyone. Shippo and the blue-haired boy were still sound asleep, as well as the two babies.

Kagome sat with Mia, talking with her to catch up on what had been happening since they last saw each other three years ago. "They all live with me. I'm not exactly sure why, since most of them have families still, but I won't say anything."

"Well, maybe they have a good reason not to go home," said Kagome, thinking of her own split with her family.

"Yuli's family died around a year ago, so I'm basically his guardian now. Ryo grew up in an orphanage, Cye's an exchange student from England, and Rowen's parents are who knows where, but Sage knows where his family is, and Kento's family has a restaurant somewhere. Cye stayed with the Rei Faun family, so that would only leave me with Yuli, Rowen, and Ryo. I'm not complaining, but they can be a handful at times."

Silence greeted this. "Um, Mia, I want to sound ignorant, but I only know who Yuli is. The other names are over my head," Kagome finished sheepishly.

Mia looked at her for a second before bursting into laughter. "I'm sorry," she gasped. "I didn't introduce you, did I? Well, since most of them are here right now, I'll point them out. That one," she pointed to the Chinese boy, "is Kento. He looks tough, and he is, but he's real sweet and likes to eat. His family owns a restaurant, like I said, so that's probably where he gets his appetite from."

Indicating the British boy still talking with Robin, she continued. "His name is Cye. As he probably told you, he's from England. He loves water and anything to do with it. He's an expert at marine biology, and is a great swimmer. What I like about him is that he's always polite and is a great cook. With him in the house, I don't have to cook a lot, and he can somehow keep Kento full. When he came here as an exchange student, he stayed with the Rei Fauns, Kento's family."

She nodded at the black-haired boy. "He's Ryo Sanada. He pretty much leads the other guys. When he was a child, he was put into the Toyama orphanage since his mother was dead and his dad was a wildlife photographer. A wild animal attacked Mr. Sanada and killed him. Somehow Ryo met Whiteblaze, and the two of them stayed together after that. And," she finished, "that's the scoop on the ones currently in the kitchen."

At that moment, the blonde entered the room dragging a stumbling and muttering boy. "Sorry we took so long," the blonde apologized. "Rowen here wasn't quite ready to get up."

Said person snapped back, "It's too dang early to be up. Normal people sleep until nine at a minimum."

They all laughed at the grumpy Rowen, who went back to muttering incoherently under his breath. "That is Rowen," said Mia to Kagome, who was trying to keep her laughter back and failing miserably. "As you can tell, he isn't a morning person. He's smart, but takes a long time to wake up. The blonde who got him up is Sage. He has the patience of a saint, which is why he shares a room with Rowen. His family owns a dojo somewhere, and like Cye, he's polite to a fault."

"Mia?" questioned Kagome nervously, "Thanks for explaining things to me, but why are they suddenly a lot more friendly? I mean, yesterday they wouldn't give you the time of day, and they've lightened up a lot."

Her cousin frowned. "I don't know. Be right back." She marched over to Ryo and spoke quietly with the black-haired boy. After a few moments, she nodded and came back to Kagome. "Last night they decided that griping about being dragged here wouldn't solve anything, so they've resolved to try to enjoy their stay."

"I see." She was silent for a few seconds, then, "I'll start getting water outside. Want to help me?"

&&


	5. Chapter 5

**Okay, I'm back. You all thought I'd abandon you, but no! I have returned. I had to help out at our band competition. We didn't compete, but other bands did, and we had to make things run smoothly for them. Lucky us.**

**Angel452: Kagome doesn't sense anything from them since they aren't witches; they're regular humans (in better shape than most, but still human). It's their armor that's unusual, not the people wearing them. The orb things that are the armor are small and don't give off any demonic aura, so she can't sense them. Inuyasha, to the Ronins, is just another worker at the shrine; he isn't the most social person, so they don't run into him.**

**Amarine Nightshade: It's okay if you don't know them. I haven't seen Ronin Warriors in years, so my knowledge of it is very sketchy, and I didn't see that many episodes.**

&&

Jordan woke to the sound of voices coming from somewhere to her left. Muttering to herself about inconsiderate people talking too loudly in the morning, she slowly stood up. _Why do people get up so early?_ she grumbled to herself. Keeping herself hidden in the foliage surrounding her, she crept towards the voices. When she got closer, she began to distinguish four individual voices and what they were talking about.

"So, when did Koenma say that Tanner was coming on another inspection?" asked Voice 1.

"I don't know, Kuwabara," said Voice 2, sounding bored and angry.

"No need to get mad about it, Urameshi," said Voice 1.

"Of course he's mad," said Voice 3. "King Yama's detective stole his girl, and he'd like to hurt him as much possible, but then he would be thrown into Makai."

"Shut up, Hiei," snapped Voice 2.

"Please, let's not fight amongst ourselves," pleaded Voice 4. "What we have to do is make sure that Tanner doesn't see anything that can get us thrown back into Makai."

Someone snorted at this comment. "He'll get us thrown back if we sneeze," shot Voice 3. "King Yama doesn't want us here in Ningenkai, and will use any excuse to get rid of us."

"True," agreed Voice 4, "but we haven't done anything wrong since we've already atoned for our sins by helping Yusuke at the Dark Tournament, and getting rid of the four Saint Beasts."

_What are they talking about?_ Jordan couldn't understand what in the world they were babbling on about. _Maybe they're spies, or criminals. But then why were they talking about detectives? Oh, if they were criminals, they would have to worry about that, wouldn't they? But that doesn't explain King Yama. He must be the code name for the big boss of their rivals._ She carefully crawled closer, careful not to make unnecessary noise.

"What exactly is he looking for?" Voice 2 was asking.

"Well, he never found out what all those flares of power from the Higurashi Shrine were," said Voice 4. "He's still investigating, but I doubt he's found anything."

"I've been asked by Koenma to investigate that place as well, and I've been keeping an eye on him. He hasn't come even close to finding out what it is." Voice 3 sounded very smug about that.

"Have you found anything?" asked Voice 1.

"Maybe," answered Voice 3.

"Hiei," warned Voice 4. "If you've found something, then tell us."

There was silence. "Some of the people living there are mikos," Voice 3 finally said. "Their power sometimes flares when they exorcise demons from around the shrine. We'll have to be careful around that place. They can sense demons that come near them."

"Then how come they haven't done anything to us?" questioned Voice 4.

"I suspect it's because we've befriended ningens," said Voice 3. "For you, though, it could be that they only sense your human side. You're no longer a full demon, not since you possessed the child."

"So as long as you don't harm humans, you're safe?" asked Voice 1.

"Yes, baka, I think so," said Voice 3 coolly.

"Hey!"

"Chill out, Kuwabara," ordered Voice 2.

Voice 4 spoke up. "I think we have an eavesdropper among us."

That was enough for Jordan. Even if he wasn't talking about her, she was getting out of there! Still being careful to not make much noise, she fled back to Crystal, who was looking out around her.

"There you are," she said exasperatedly. "Do you know how long I've been waiting for you?"

"Sorry, Crystal," she said, repenting. "I just got carried away listening to either spies or crooks. I think we'd better make tracks out of here."

Her twin nodded, and the two of them left at a semi-leisurely pace. Going to fast would mean guilt and attract attention. However, if they already knew it was her, it wasn't a good idea to go too slow.

"Where are we going?" asked Crystal.

"I don't know. I don't think we've ever been to this place before. I think it's Tokyo."

"The capital?" Jordan nodded. "We don't have any place to stay, and we don't have any money for food. Why don't we just look around for a job or something like that?" Crystal suggested.

"Sounds fine to me," agreed Jordan.

They walked around for a while before coming to a hill with stairs on it. Crystal walked up to a group of people going up and asked, "Excuse me, but what's on the top of this hill?"

The person she asked answered, "This is the Higurashi Shrine."

She thanked him and came back to Jordan. "He says it's the Higurashi Shrine. Maybe we can rest here and see if they have any slots open. They might know where there are vacancies even if they don't need the extra help."

Jordan couldn't help but admire her sister. She never would've gotten the courage to ask for directions from a stranger. Sure, she could beat the crap out of anyone that messed with her, but to do a simple thing like ask directions was beyond her. There were so many things her sister could do that she couldn't do easily. Like making friends. Crystal made friends right and left, while Jordan had to work for hers. Everyone loved Crystal; she was just so easy to love. Jordan was more of a loner. She didn't have many friends other than her sister. Crystal was all she needed. She was the reason she kept going at times. Some people thought that she was jealous of Crystal. Maybe if she tried hard enough, she could be, but it wasn't in her to be jealous of her sister.

Finally, after many long minutes hiking up the steps in the dead heat, they made it to the top. Crystal started walking over to one of the booths, so Jordan sighed and stumbled after her.

&&

Kagome sighed to herself. _Why does it have to be so hot in the summer? This heat is deadly, especially when it's the middle of the day._ She noticed some more people were coming her way. _I never knew being a water seller was so much work. I think I'm going to take my old tour job back after this._ Putting on a smile she asked, "Would you like some water? In this heat, water's essential."

They shook their heads. The taller one spoke up. "We were wondering if you were shorthanded, and could use some more workers." They looked at her hopefully.

"Um…" _We don't really need more help, but I can't just send them away._ "Well," she said brightly, "how 'bout I take you to Michael; he'll probably find some place to put you. If we don't need help, he'll find somewhere for you to work."

"Thanks," they said together.

"Hey, Cye, can you watch the stand by yourself for a bit?" she asked the water lover.

"Sure," he responded, trying to haul more water out of its box and into the ice.

"Thanks." She led the girls to where Michael was selling his food and souvenirs. "Michael, we have two girls looking for work. Do you know where we could put them?"

"I don't think we need any more help," he said doubtfully.

The girl who asked Kagome about work threw herself on the ground and got into a begging position. "Please, we need this job. We'll even pick up trash if that's what you need."

Michael started when she dropped to the ground. Now he was staring at both of them. "Have I met you somewhere before?" he asked.

"Maybe," said the other girl. "Have you been to Momiji's Orphanage?"

"No." He shook his head. "Well, if you're willing to pick up garbage, then I think we can help you. What are your names?"

"I'm Crystal Lee, and this is my sister, Jordan Lee," said Crystal, who had gotten up off the ground.

Again, he stared at them. "Did you have an older brother?" he asked.

"Yeah, his name was…" Crystal trailed off. Looking hard at him, she asked, "Michael?"

"That's me," he said softly, coming from behind the stand. Good thing, too, because the two girls threw themselves on him.

Kagome watched the scene unfold, nonplussed. _I sure hope they know each other,_ she thought worriedly. _Robin will be a little upset if they're not related or childhood friends._

"Um, mind explaining what's going on?" she asked, more like demanded.

"These are my younger sisters, Jordan and Crystal Lee," he informed her. "When I was taken by Zaizen, they were only ten."

"It's been six years since we saw you," said Crystal, holding on like he was her lifeline.

"So, I'm going to assume that I need to prepare two more rooms for them," Kagome hazarded a guess. He nodded. "Okay, then." She headed towards the house. On the way, she ran into Serena and enlisted her help in making the two rooms.

"So Michael's sisters just showed up out of nowhere?" Serena asked.

"Yeah. I'm surprised to see them, actually. I didn't know he had sisters, but they were in Momiji's Orphanage. I've heard rumors about that place, and I don't like what I hear. They're rumors, though, and rumors tend to exaggerate or make something out of nothing."

"I don't know," said Serena while making the bed. "Rumors do have some fact in them. They might be exaggerating, but something triggered those rumors, so something bad had to have happened at that place at one point."

"I guess you're right. This place is clean, so let's work on the other room."

&&

Jordan was helping her brother and sister sell food and souvenirs to the tourists wandering around. _I never would've thought I would run into my brother. I thought that those tall men killed him. Who knew he would be here? Now, why does the name 'Higurashi Shrine' ring a bell? I don't think I've ever been here before._

"Jordan?" A concerned voice cut through her musings.

"What?" she looked into Crystal's worried face.

"We've been calling your name for the last five minutes. Maybe you should take a break. I mean, we haven't had time to get much food, and you look like you're ready to fall over."

"I'm fine," she growled. She _hated_ being fussed over.

"Why don't the two of you take a break?" suggested Michael. "Enjoy the sights while you two are out." Seeing their looks, he laughed. "I'll still be here when you get back. My shift's not over until sundown." They reluctantly agreed and left to see what the place had to show them.

"So, where do you want to go first?" asked Crystal.

"How 'bout we go see how big this place is? The tour?"

"Sure." They made their way over to what would occupy them for the next hour.

"Wow, I didn't know any place that could be so big. Even the orphanage wasn't this big," said Jordan in awe. Crystal nodded in agreement. "Now where to?"

"Let's just wander for now," her sister suggested.

"Fine by me," agreed Jordan.

They walked around, looking at what booths sold, and asked a few questions of the people dressed like they were from the Feudal Era of Japan. It was amazing how much these people knew; most of it wasn't even in the history books. Actually, most of it wasn't in any books.

"Let's get something to eat," complained the weretiger. "I'm starving. We haven't really eaten since we left the orphanage."

"Fine," laughed her sister, used to her griping. "Let's try to find Michael again, and see if we can borrow money off him."

Somehow, Crystal managed to not only find their brother again, but also get money as well. When questioned about it, she just shrugged. "He's our brother. He won't let us starve or anything."

Knowing better than to pursue the subject, Jordan let it drop. She could always find out later. "What did you want to eat?" It had been a while since they had been given a choice in what they wanted to eat.

"Let's just see what the stands have to offer, and when we see something we want to try, we'll buy it," she suggested.

"Okay."

They went over quite a few food booths before finding something. As they were eating, a strangely familiar voice reached Jordan's ears. "Where is he? I don't see him. If Urameshi's sent me on a wild goose chase, then he'll have a bashed-in face when I find him."

Jordan's insides went cold. _That's one of the people I heard talking this morning. I think he was Voice 1._ Looking around cautiously, she listened for Voice 1 to speak again so she would have a face to go with the voice. It came again, and from a stupid looking high-schooler.

"Where is he? That punk is so gonna regret this if Tanner isn't even here."

_That Tanner guy again. I wonder who he is._ Jordan resumed eating while still keeping an eye and an ear on the boy. _Maybe if I can find this 'Tanner' guy first, I can warn him that he's being hunted._ He started moving away, out of Jordan's line of sight, but her ears were still trained on him.

"Jordan?"

Her head snapped around to face her sister again. "Sorry, what?"

"Are you okay? Maybe you should rest for a bit." Crystal was always concerned when something was wrong. It was like she had a sixth sense about that kind of thing.

"I'm fine," she assured her twin. "I can still run around and work. No need to worry." She smiled, for her more for her sister's benefit than anything else.

"Okay," she said doubtfully. Her sister knew her too well. She knew she was faking, but didn't want to call her on it.

"Let's get back to Michael, shall we?"

Threading their way through the crowd, they were almost there when someone ran right into poor Jordan. BAM! Boxes went flying in all directions. _Whichever idiot did that will die a horrible and painful death,_ Jordan swore as she tried to get up, ignoring the twinge in her lower back.

"I'm terribly sorry, miss. I couldn't see over the boxes." The person who ran into her was trying to escape her wrath with sweet talk. It wouldn't work. Oh, no, it wouldn't. She looked up to snap at the person, but the words died on her tongue. Staring into the greenest eyes she'd ever seen had melted all her anger away.

"Again, I'm dreadfully sorry," he said again. The words, however, didn't quite penetrate her mind. "Here, let me help you up." He offered her a hand.

Normally she would never have accepted this kind of help, but she just took it and kept trying to lose herself into his eyes. The still working part of her brain was screaming _"Don't you recognize his voice! He's Voice 4 from this morning! He's one of the crooks!"_ However, its voice wasn't heard, as the majority of her mind was still swimming in his gaze.

"Jordan!" The voice of her sister finally penetrated the fog that had surrounded her mind. "Are you okay?" She then began berating the gorgeous human that was currently the only thing keeping Jordan standing.

"I'm fine," she said, causing Crystal to stop her tirade against the redhead supporting her.

"Are you sure?" Crystal asked anxiously.

"I'm sure," she affirmed. Almost painfully, she took her hand from his and started picking up boxes.

"You don't have to do that," he protested. "First I run into you, and now you're picking up my boxes."

"I know I don't have to. I want to," Jordan huffed as she put boxes on top of each other. Between the three of them (Crystal wasn't going to just leave the boxes laying there) it was put back together fairly quickly. He picked them up and started to go. "Wait," Jordan called, wondering why she was doing this for a stranger, "did you need help?"

He smiled. She started wishing she had sunglasses; his smile was bright enough to rival the sun, stars, and moon all together. "I'm fine, thank you for the offer." He left.

She stayed there, staring at the space where he once stood. _He's gone? I might never see him again. Wait, he was carrying boxes for these people, right? He works here. I can see him again._ That thought cheered her tremendously.

"Jordan?" queried her sister. "Are you sure you're feeling okay? You're acting strangely."

"Hm? Oh, I'm fine. Just fine." _Except for the fact that I'm here and he isn't. I don't even know his name!_

"No, you're not fine. I'm telling Michael you need to rest," Crystal said.

Jordan knew better than to argue when she took on that tone. Most people thought that she was the dominant twin, as she was the older of the two, but it was actually Crystal. She lived for Crystal, and would always obey when she insisted on something. Thankfully, that wasn't often, but when she did Jordan knew better than to argue.

"Michael," Crystal called, "Jordan's feeling a bit unwell."

"Hey, Serena, watch the stand for me?" He went over to them and asked, "What's wrong with her?"

"I think she's just had a bit too much excitement. I don't want to invade your space or anything, but-" He cut her off.

"You're not invading anything. You're my family; of course I'll take care of you. Come inside." He led them to the house. Turning to Jordan, he ordered, "You lay down. No one would appreciate you getting sick or something along those lines." He smiled at her. "I'll get you some water, and you can watch TV or whatever you want as long as you stay on the couch. Or the computer."

_I hate it when people fuss over me!_ "Okay, I'll be fine. Seriously, I will."

"Do you want someone to stay with you?" asked her caring sister.

"No, I'm fine!" she stated firmly. "I don't need to be fussed over."

"She's fine for the most part," Crystal said to Michael, now ignoring Jordan, who was trying to inform them that she really didn't need anything, and that she was fine.

"I'll get her some water and food, then," said Michael to Crystal, taking his cues from her. He came back a few minutes later with the water and food. "Here. It's not much, but I think it'll do."

"Thank you," Jordan replied grumpily. _Why does this always happen to me?_

"Okay, are you sure you don't want someone to stay with you?" asked Crystal again, giving her another chance.

"I'm perfectly fine," Jordan huffed.

"All right," they said and left. Now she was left alone with her thoughts. Unfortunately, they made a beeline for the redhead and her mind latched onto it, blocking out the rational part of her brain.

_He's so hot. I've never really thought about guys this seriously before. I mean, the only smart guy I know is my brother and…that's it. The other boys I know are all perverted and only interested in…other things. He was polite, and there's not even a comparison in the looks department._

_ He was Voice 4 ,_ the thinking part of her mind finally made itself heard.

_But he seems so nice,_ she argued back. _Why was he so polite? And why would a crook work instead of steal?_

_ Then they must be spies! You saw Voice 1 earlier here. And they were all talking about the Higurashi Shrine, which is here! You can't ever trust a spy! _

_I don't care! Maybe this Tanner guy is from somewhere else. They could be spies for the Japanese government and Tanner is from an unfriendly country._

_ Probably not. Tanner could be from a different country, but so could these people. Just because a really, really, really hot guy is looking for something doesn't mean that his intentions are good. Those are the most dangerous kinds! They hook people like you and then disaster happens. _

_He might not be a spy at all._

_ "King Yama"? "Makai"? "Ningenkai"? Those are code names, you moron! You know better than to trust strangers. Especially with Momiji and her people looking for you. _

_They won't find us. They aren't smart enough to look for us here._

_ But what if they are? Then what? Don't underestimate your enemies, Jordan. Are you willing to take responsibility for leading them right to this place? Let's say that they don't catch you. What if they catch Crystal? Can you live with yourself, knowing it's your fault that your twin sister is now a slave somewhere in Africa? Most likely she will die within a few years. Can you live with that? _

Jordan had no answer to that one. Her one weakness was Crystal. It always was, and would keep being her weakness. And her inner voice, or conscience, knew that. Now she was stuck with just daydreaming about him, but knowing that even if she did see him again, she couldn't 'get to know him'. Crystal comes first; always did, always will.

&&


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry I can't update like I used to. We only have four more weeks of marching band, so after that I should have more free time.**

**Amarine Nightshade: Makai is the Demon World, or Hell in some cases. Reikai (Spirit World) is where spirits go once their bodies die, and Ningenkai is the Human World, or Earth.**

&&

Kagome wiped her forehead. "I am SO glad that this is over with," she said to Robin, who was putting the last of the chairs away. "It's been a little too eventful for me. Did you know that Michael's sisters wandered into us earlier today?"

"Really?" Robin said. She looked at Kagome expectantly.

"Yeah, apparently they're twins. They don't look the same, though."

"You know that twins aren't necessarily identical," Robin informed her, laughter evident in her voice.

"Oh, really?"

"You didn't know that?"

"No. I've never seen twins aside from Sango's, but one's a boy and the other's a girl, so they wouldn't look the same."

"Who are they? Michael's sisters, I mean."

"Their names are Jordan and Crystal. You might've seen Crystal around; Jordan wasn't feeling too well, and had to come in."

Robin looked concerned. "Is she okay?"

"I think so. They're from Momiji's Orphanage, so I'm going to assume that she's just in shock."

"'Momiji's Orphanage'?" Robins questioned.

"Haven't you heard of that place?" Robin shook her head. "Supposedly, Momiji, the owner of the place, works the orphans there and feeds them poorly. You haven't heard any rumors about that place?" Another head shake. "It's supposed to be pretty bad there."

"How did they get out?"

Kagome shrugged. "Who knows. You can ask them later if you want. It might be a touchy subject, so tread carefully."

They walked into the house and took off their shoes. "I'm going to go check on Kirara," Kagome said, heading up the stairs.

"I'll go with you," offered Robin. The two sophomores entered Sango's room and looked for where the kaneko could be. A soft mew was heard from the other side of the bed. They walked over and stopped when Kirara came into their line of sight. She looked tired, but immensely proud of herself. Surrounding her were five little kittens.

"Did Sango know about this?" asked Robin.

"I don't think so," whispered Kagome. "This is why she was acting so strangely. She had kittens." They knelt beside the konekos. "They're so cute."

Kirara purred, her kittens adding their own voices to it. "They're adorable, Kirara," said Robin. "I'll go tell Sango."

"Wait for me," called Kagome, following her to the door. Once on the stairs, they smelled food being cooked. They looked at each other. "Uh-oh." Racing down the stairs, they all fervently hoped that it wasn't Serena cooking. She was sweet and all, but the poor girl just couldn't cook. To their relief, Cye was the one at the stove. Hearing their entrance, he looked over his shoulder and waved.

"Since Robin cooked last night, I figured that I could do it this time," he explained to their inquiring glances.

"Thank goodness it was you cooking and not Serena," they said at the same time. "She's as nice as they come, but she just can't cook," Kagome informed him. "Sorry if we startled you."

He smiled slightly and turned his attention back to the stove. "It should be ready soon."

"Thanks again," they called as the exited the kitchen to tell the rest of the household it was time to eat, and try to find Sango to herald the good news.

They found her talking with Mia. "Dinner's ready," Robin called to them. As they passed, they pulled Sango over and quickly told her the news.

"She has kittens?" she exclaimed in disbelief.

"Yeah. I think that's why she seemed so sick; she was expecting kittens," Kagome said.

"I have to see her," she said, hurrying away from them.

"Don't forget to eat," Kagome called after her. Looking at Robin, she said, "We'd better not be late for dinner either. Let's go."

&&

_Not another boring meeting,_ Hiei moaned internally. _When does it all end?_ Once again, Koenma had called them for another boring assignment. By now the other members of the Reikai Tantei knew of his other "assignment", but it didn't mean he could just skip all the other assignments. That was truly unfortunate in Hiei's opinion. Seriously, how was he supposed to keep an eye on Tanner and the Higurashi Shrine if he was always being called away to do some other menial and degrading mission?

"Well, Hiei?" asked Koenma.

"What?" he asked irritably; he hated being pulled out of his complaining except when it was time to leave.

Koenma sighed. "Haven't you been paying ANY attention?"

Hiei just smirked; Koenma HATED when he did that.

"You're hopeless." The toddler-sized ruler of the spirit realm threw his hands in the air. "We were discussing how to close a portal that opened between the Demon and Human Worlds. I think that if you close it on the Demon side, then it'll close for good."

"And how do you suggest that we get back?" he snapped at the short(er) person.

"I'd give you this." He held up a small device that had fit in the palm of his hand. "It creates a portal of its own and, once used, disappears. And it only works once, so it would have to be used once you're sure that the other one is closed. I don't have another one, so this is your only chance. What do you boys say? Will you go?"

"Do we have a choice?" asked Yusuke in a sarcastic voice.

"Well, you do, but I think you'll go."

"Okay, fine, we'll do it. Where is it?"

"It's in a park. There are a lot of trees around, and it's in a clearing."

"I think I know where it is, then," stated Kurama.

Koenma looked relieved. "Good. Kurama can lead all you over there."

"As you wish."

_He needs to get out more._ "If that's all, then I'll get back to the shrine," Hiei called over his shoulder, already bounding out the door with the speed only another speed demon could match. He could hear Koenma yelling at him, but he didn't care. He just had to get out of there.

Arriving back home, he could sense that something had happened. It was a good thing, as there was no sense of fear of sadness, but what could've happened in such a short time? Just as he landed on the ground, Serena came out to him. _This girl has a sixth sense on when someone's coming._

"What happened?" he asked without the usual coldness he gets when he was with the rest of the world.

"Kirara's just had five kittens," she informed him.

He stared at her. "This is the reason everyone's happy?" he asked incredulously.

"Well, whenever there's been a birth, there's rejoicing."

"Not when I was born," he muttered.

"What was that? I didn't quite catch that," she said, a twinkle in her eye.

"Nothing," he said quickly, not wanting to spread the news around.

"Okay," she said slowly. "Everyone else has already eaten, so but I saved some for you."

"Thank you," he said, following her into the house. He took his food outside so he could see the sky. _She's nice. She goes out of her way to make sure that everyone else is all right._

He disposed of his paper dishes and plastic utensils and hopped onto the roof. If anyone had been watching, they would've thought they were going mad. After all, a tall person couldn't have jumped onto the roof, and here this five-foot person did it with perfect ease. Facing the stars, he wondered how long this new mission of Koenma's would take. This didn't last very long. Then, unintentionally, his thought turned to Serena. _She's too nice to everyone. Why? Being nice caused her friends to throw her out. They didn't appreciate her like I do._

That last thought stopped him cold. _Like WE do,_ he corrected himself. _She may not cook well at all, but she helps around the place. Maybe she could help me keep an eye on Tanner. She's sharp, and since she's clumsy, she can make herself noticeable and keep his attention on her and where she'll mess up next. Then he won't be looking for the source of the power surges._

His next thoughts were of the two new additions to the family, Michael's sisters. _Isn't it just a bit of coincidence that they happened to come here of all places, where Michael was? Then again, isn't it coincidence that those 'special' witches, as Robin calls them, show up here? It's like this place calls to them. Kagome was already here, but Robin came, then Serena. This place is like a light that attracts insects, only the called ones are witches. Maybe Michael's sisters are witches; at least one of them is. How else could they have come here? Maybe they just worked for a different section of the STN and didn't tell Michael. Maybe they work for the Tokyo government. Maybe I'm just jumping at shadows. Maybe I'm talking to myself. Stop that, myself. Okay. Not again. Okay. STOP! OKAY! AAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGG!_

&&


	7. Chapter 7

**Since Hurricane Wilma's supposed to be affecting us sometime tomorrow morning, I'll just post two chapters.**

**Angel452: Tanner doesn't look in the right places, so he's still in the dark. If he does find out, then Hiei will probably find a demon friend to "get rid of him".**

**Amarine Nightshade: I haven't read the manga, so I don't know what terminology they use. What I have is basically what I've gotten from the TV show and a profile site I found.**

&&

Crystal stared out the window. She was ecstatic that she and Jordan not only managed to escape with nothing broken, but they also found their brother and a new home. She sighed. She was happy, Jordan was happy, why did she get the feeling that it wouldn't last for very long, that they were leaving soon? Not just her and Jordan, but a lot of others were going, too.

Turning to her bag, she snapped her finger at it; the drawers of the dresser popped open, and her clothes flew neatly into their proper compartment. The other contents in the bag went to their 'spots' on the dresser and nightstand.

Next thought: what to do about a brooding sister who is obviously taken with the redhead who barreled her over earlier. _I can see why she's infatuated with him, but it doesn't seem like the smartest thing to get attached to someone on just their looks. I know she isn't shallow enough to go after someone just because they're drop-dead gorgeous, but still, one must worry._

Turning her gaze from the window to the wall that separated their rooms, she continued to worry. _Maybe I'm jumping at shadows, but this doesn't seem right. It's like they shouldn't be together. But who am I to decide that? If that's what makes her happy, there's not a whole lot I can do about it._

_ You know she'll listen to you. _

_I won't be the reason she's unhappy. I can't ask that of her. I know she wouldn't do that to me, and it's only right to return the favor._

_ She'd sulk if you found someone that she thought "replaced" her in your love. You know she'd hate that person, no matter who it was. _

_Stop it! She wouldn't stop me if I found someone else, and I won't do it either!_

No answer.

_Hello?_

A sign appeared in her mind, saying, "Please stand by for further instruction."

_I need to get out more._ Walking to the door, she cast her gaze around the room again before leaving, and smacking right into someone.

"Oh, sorry," they apologized to each other. He, being the first one on his feet, helped her up. "Sorry about that. I wasn't looking where I was going."

"It's fine," she assured him, mentally checking herself to see if she was still in one piece. "I'm sorry I startled you, as well as for running into you."

He put a hand behind his head and laughed. "It's fine, I'm sorta used to it by now. What's you name?" he asked curiously.

"I'm Crystal, Michael's sister. My other sister, Jordan, is probably brooding in her room. Who are you?"

"I'm Ryo Sanada, at your service." He half-bowed to her. "And what would be so pressing that it would call a beautiful girl like you to come and run me over?"

She chuckled at his mock gallantry. "Well, my lord," she answered, playing along, "I felt something telling me that should go out and run into someone, I should go in the opposite direction of him as fast as possible and I would find my heart's desire."

"And what is your heart's desire?" he asked.

_This is fun!_ "Well, aside from finding a diamond mine hidden in my room, I guess I'd like to be ruler of the world."

"That's quite a desire," he said, looking at her strangely. Now he seemed serious. "What would you do if you ruled the world?"

_What's with the mood swings?_ "First off, there would be no more wars. I mean, wars are really expensive, so that would waste a lot of money. And it ruins the land. People tend to make their land unlivable and unusable if they let the enemy run it over, so there's less land for growing things. I'd have to think about the rest of it."

He smiled and gave her another bow; this one was a full bow, and it seemed to be respectful. "Your views are pretty much the same as someone else's here. I overheard her talking to a friend of mine. I don't know how it came up, but there you have it." Now he was playful again. "A worthy wish, my lady. I'm sure that if you are ever to gain full control of the world, not a soul would stop you except the most stupid of people."

She smiled back at him. "I would very much like to be ruler of the world, but then I would have to part ways with your company. Which direction were you going?"

"The kitchen; there's probably no better room in this place, except the pantry."

_Boys always think with their stomachs._ "I'll join you. Maybe I can be ruler of the world at some later time."

&&

Jordan heard the whole exchange. She even stopped her thoughts on what "might have been" between her and the boy to listen to Ryo Sanada talk with her sister, her anger growing each second. _He's flirting with her,_ she raged inwardly. _He's flirting with her and she's too dumb to notice!_

Regret immediately followed that thought. _How can I think that? Of course she knows what he's doing. She's a lot smarter than people give her credit for being. It's because she's so nice. Everyone gets along with her, and since she doesn't want to make someone unhappy, she tries to please everyone. And that's why people think she isn't exactly the brightest crayon in the box. Why am I rationalizing her get-along-with-everyone ability to myself?_

She could still hear their voices outside, which did nothing to improve her temper. _Why does Crystal seem to get everything she wants? I wouldn't deny her anything for the world, but why is that? It looks like she's hooked herself a guy, and she's always perfectly happy with what she's given. Why can't I be a little like her? She charms everyone and everyone loves her. I have to work to get my friends. Why is it that she is happy, and I'm miserable?_

Her conscience decided to put in its unwanted two cents. _ The only reason you're complaining right now is because it looks like Crystal's getting along with a boy, and the one you're pining after is just about permanently out of your reach. _

_Shut up._

_ Sorry, doesn't work like that. _

_Figures._

_ Whatever you say. Now stop thinking badly of your sister; she hasn't done anything to deserve it and you know it. _

_So? What if I like whinging?_

_ Then whinge about something else. You'll feel bad later when you think back on this. What you need to do is find this "Tanner" fellow and tell him he's being dogged. _

_But what do I know about that kind of thing? How would I even find this guy?_

_ You heard them. He's here at this shrine a lot, so just ask around for a Tanner, and eventually you're bound to find him. I mean, how many people around here are named Tanner? _

_Fine. I'll find this Tanner guy and tell him…what?_

_ That four people are following him. _

_And why would he believe me?_

_ That's none of your concern. You'll have done your duty, and whether he believes you or not isn't your problem. _

_This it tiring. Good night._ She rolled onto her back and closed her eyes. Unfortunately, Jordan's conscience was "shouting" and prevented her from sleeping. Finally erecting a "barrier" between the two of them, she managed to pass into oblivion even with her conscience yelling at her.

&&


	8. Chapter 8

As Kirara's kits grew more independent from their mother, they "adopted" a human pet. They all looked like their mother, except for certain color differences or the shape of the marking on their foreheads. The one that followed Serena looked exactly like her mother, except she had a silver crescent moon.

Kagome was trying to clean the kitchen with her own koneko underfoot. The playful kitten was like her mother, except her mark was a five-point star. Unfortunately, she was fond on chasing just about anything that moved and that Kagome happened to be near. At the moment, it was Kagome's feet that were moving, and she kept tripping her human pet.

Footsteps came from the hall outside the kitchen, stopping at the doorway. Another mew came from the floor of the door. _Oh, no, not another kitten!_ That meant a "human pet" was at the doorway. She spared a glance at the new kitten, who had joined its sibling in its game of catch-the-foot-and-trip-Kagome. It had a red flame adorning its forehead. _Robin._

"Hey, Robin, do you think you can help me out here?" she pleaded, balancing a pile of plates on one hand and a pile of cups in the other.

"It never fails to amaze me that you can just look at the cat and know who's out here," Robin said in reply. Taking the dishes from Kagome, she started putting them away.

"I just happen to know who's been adopted by whom," Kagome explained. "It's the ones who don't have a koneko that I have a problem identifying."

With Robin's help the kitchen was finally cleaned. The kittens didn't seem to think that Robin's feet were very interesting, and latched onto Kagome's the entire time. Finished, Robin picked up her neko and walked out, Kagome following the best she could without stepping on the kitten.

"Have you named yours yet?" Robin asked her.

"No. I thought that their parents gave them names, or they came up with their own. Does it not work like that?"

Robin shook her head. "I asked Sango about it, and she said that her father had given Kirara her name. I'm not good with names, so I just named her Flame, since that's her mark."

"I think I'll take a leaf from your book and do the same; I'm no good with names either, and simple ones are the most easy to remember." She picked up her koneko and held her up so she could see all of her. "You will be Star." Star mewed happily.

"Were we doing anything today?" Robin asked her.

"No, I closed the shrine today. I figured that we should get some sort of break."

"I could do with a bit of relaxation. I need to walk in the trees. Care to come with me?"

"Sure. Just us, or others?"

"I think we could get some other people to join us. We just have to find them now."

About half an hour later, just about everyone was in the park, looking for a spot to have a picnic. Michael, Mia, Whiteblaze, Sota, and the shard hunters (they were in their own time) decided to stay home, and no one could find Hiei.

Kagome was breathing in the scent of fresh air and feeling the coolness under the trees when Robin dashed over, panting and looking like she was in a panic.

"What's wrong?" she asked in concern, not knowing what could have caused the normally calm girl to be in such a state.

"I-I-I saw A-Amon!" she gasped. "He saw me and started chasing me. By now he's called the others. We have to go. Now." She grabbed Kagome's arm and started dragging her along.

"What about the others?" Kagome struggled to make her voice heard.

"Most of them aren't witches, so they'll be safe enough."

They breezed by the other people they came with, who, after getting over their shock of seeing Robin almost run them over, followed; if it made Robin panic, then it wasn't worth staying to see what it was.

Unfortunately, the Spirit Detectives were going to close the Demon portal that day, and Robin didn't see them in front of her, or if she did, then she was going too fast to stop. She barreled right into them, knocking them through it, the rest of the gang going through as well, moving too fast to stop in time.

By the time Amon and the rest of the STN made it to where they were it was like all traces of Robin had disappeared. Neutrally he looked around, but there was no sign of where she had gone next.

"I knew she was still in this area," said Sakaki more to himself than anyone else.

"I don't think she'll be staying here for much longer now that she knows that we know she was here," Amon told him. "We'll have to wait for her to use her Craft before we can look again. There's nothing left here." They left for the Raven's Flat.

&&


	9. Chapter 9

**Amarine Nightshade: Wilma passed us by, but I actually didn't get any damage. We were fine, so we had to go to school the next day. That wasn't fun, but at least I didn't have to go on Monday.**

**Angel452: Kagome can't open portals with miko power. The Spirit Detectives need to locate the demon causing all the portals, and they already know that Hiei knows them. No one in Makai knows Kagome.**

&&

_Ow! Why are there rocks in my bed?_ Crystal didn't want to get up, but there was no way she could get back to sleep with rocks in her back. Opening her eyes, she saw a ceiling that wasn't hers. _What!_

She snapped up and looked around. It looked like they were in the forest that they had just been in, but it didn't have the same feel. Looking down, there was the rest of the group. They were all on the ground, unmoving. She would've panicked, but she could see them breathing.

Then she noticed that there were four more additions to their group. She had seen them at the shrine, helping with the selling. The closest one had curly orange hair and looked like a thug. The second one was a black-haired boy who seemed to have a sad aura at times. The third one was Hiei. _What is Hiei doing with them? Maybe they're friends of his, or something._ And then there was the last one. Almost immediately she recognized him as the redhead that ran Jordan over. His hair was a bit disarrayed, but it still looked good.

Now the others were waking up, all moaning and groaning about their backs. Getting up was a pain, but with a bit of help from Jordan and a tree she managed to get back on her feet. She tried to ignore Jordan for the moment, who was cursing under her breath; apparently, she had landed on her tail wrong, and it was giving her a lot of pain. No one (aside from Jordan) seemed to be in too much pain. There was muttering and dirty looks at the ground, but there didn't seem to be any broken bones. Jordan's profanity was starting to get on her nerves, however.

"Jordan?" she said too sweetly.

Now Jordan knew she did something bad and was about to get it. "Yes?" she asked cautiously.

"Do you know who dropped in with the rest of us?"

She shook her head. "Follow me." There was no arguing with that tone, so Jordan hung her head and followed like the obedient tigress she was. Crystal stopped right in front of the redhead, who was currently helping up the orange-hair.

"Excuse me, but is your friend all right?" she asked him.

He looked at her, laughter in his eyes. "He will be fine, eventually. Thank you for your concern."

She heard a gasp behind her and felt rather than saw Jordan trying to hide behind her. _I knew she'd recognize his voice._ "My sister and I were worried that he might not be okay, as he isn't up yet."

She could see something click in his mind. "You wereIyou were there when I knocked that person over. Wait, that was your sister. Is she all right?" There was sincere concern in his eyes as he looked at her.

_I can see why she's taken with him._ "She's fine. In fact, she's right here." She stepped aside, revealing a cowering Jordan. Looking embarrassed, Jordan straightened. It looked like all her blood had gone straight to her cheeks; they were redder than a tomato.

"Hello, again. I wasn't expecting to see you so soon."

Jordan still said nothing, her face steadily getting redder.

He turned to Crystal and asked, "Is she all right? It looks like she might be a little sick." He looked at Jordan in a concerned manner.

"She's fine," Crystal assured him. "She landed on something wrong, that's all. She'll be okay later." Sparing a glance to their surroundings, she asked, "Where are we? I don't remember this place or getting here."

He smiled. "This is Makai, the Demon World. My friends and I were going to close the portal that connects this world and ours."

Crystal laughed at his bewildered expression; people were always telling her more than they intended to. "Why were you going to close it?"

"It's our job."

"You get paid to close portals?"

"We don't get paid, and we just make sure that demons don't make trouble in our world." His confused look kept spreading. "I don't know why I'm telling you this. You probably think I'm crazy."

She shook her head. "No, I've heard and seen things more unbelievable. Well, it was nice talking to you. Maybe we can do this again sometime."

He waved at them. "Maybe. I think we'll be traveling together, so that may very well happen a lot. Until then, good-bye."

"Bye." She dragged Jordan, who still hadn't said anything, back towards their other companions. That shook Jordan out of her paralysis.

"That wasn't nice," she snapped. "What did I do to deserve that?"

"Well, you were using too much profanity," Crystal calmly informed her. "Besides, I thought you'd love for another chance to see him."

"How could you do that to me?" Jordan whined.

"I just told you," Crystal said curtly, leaving her sister to sputter and fume behind her.

Kagome walked towards them. "Do either of you know where we are?"

"According to them," Crystal pointed towards the group of four, "we're in a place called Makai."

Kagome visibly paled. "Makai?" she asked weakly.

Crystal nodded. "Have you heard of it?"

"Yeah." She didn't go into an explanation, and Crystal didn't ask, seeing the pained look on her face.

"What are we going to do now?" she asked, trying to get Kagome's mind on something else.

"Ask them what's going on." Kagome marched over to Hiei and began interrogating the poor fire Koorime.

"Let's steer clear of her for awhile," Crystal suggested; Jordan nodded, forgetting to fume at the sight of Hiei under Kagome's fire.

&&

"So let me get this straight," said Kuwabara. "We're staying where we landed for some unknown reason, and we'll be looking after these people as well?"

"Yes, and the reason isn't quite as unknown as you might think," answered Kurama. "Hiei won't leave them, and since they're staying here, so is he, which means we have to stay with him."

"Why does he want to stay with them so much?"

Kurama took a deep breath. _You can be so thick at times, Kuwabara._ "I think he's grown rather fond of them. After all, he works with them, the same as we do."

"What? These people are from the shrine?"

_Kuwabara no baka, who ELSE would they be?_ "Yes, they are. There's Kagome right there, giving Hiei a verbal lashing. I'm surprised he hasn't tried to cut her off or cut her throat yet. He doesn't normally have this much tolerance for humans. Or anyone, for that matter."

"Maybe he has a crush on her," Kuwabara said gleefully.

"Maybe," agreed Kurama, looking thoughtful.

"Or maybe he was too busy listening to you two talking about him to retaliate," came a voice from behind them. They spun around; Hiei was standing right there, arms crossed and looking at them coldly. "Do you spend all your spare time talking about someone who acts differently than what you're used to?"

_I guess he's finished being beaten like a rug by Kagome._

Hiei smirked as Kurama's thoughts reached him. "For your information, she wasn't 'beating me like a rug' and she only wanted to know how to get out of this place."

"And what did you tell her?"

_Kurama's always too concerned about how much other ningens know about our job._ "I told her the truth. We have to find the demon that made this thing and bring it in. Once that's done, we can go home."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Kuwabara cried, waving his arms around. "Koenma didn't say anything about tracking a demon down and taking it back with us."

"Well, if he can make one portal, he can make another," Hiei said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "If we don't stop him, he'll only make another one, and this won't be any good."

"Whatever you say, shrimp, though if you don't watch that attitude of yours, I might just have to punch your face in." He rubbed one fist into the other hand while trying to look menacing.

"Why do we even bother with this buffoon?" Hiei asked Kurama in a bored voice.

"Hey!" Kuwabara cried, but Kurama shook his head, chuckling. "He's a good asset to the team. He's saved our lives on a number of occasions."

"He's also the reason we've almost lost them on more numerous occasions," Hiei shot back.

"Be nice, Hiei," Kurama warned.

"Hn. Anyway, they're staying here for the night. I'm staying with them." His eyes looked challengingly at Kurama. There was no doubt which "they" he meant.

"Then we are staying. No need to be so touchy. It's not like it's any different than a normal workday, except we normally go home to sleep."

Hiei used his speed to make it into the trees before he could say any more. His youkai hearing picked up what the baka said next.

"I wish he wouldn't do that. No one should move that fast, even they are that short."

"Baka," he muttered. "Why do I put up with him?" He leaped through the trees before stopping by a stream, where Robin was sitting. Coming up silently, he could see she was staring passively into the running water, her knees drawn to her chest. "Penny for your thoughts," he said, sitting down beside her.

Startled, her head jerked up at the sound of his voice. Seeing it was him, she relaxed slightly. "I was just thinking about how stupid I am," she replied. "I just panicked when I saw Amon. If I had just kept my cool, then we wouldn't be here!" She buried her head in her arms.

Hiei looked at her, nonplussed. "Who?" he asked, thinking, _If he's hurt her, then I'll make sure he suffers for it!_

"Amon. I used to work with him in the STN-J. We would hunt witches before I was declared a witch." Her arms muffled her voice, but his ears picked it up clearly enough.

"Why were you 'declared a witch'?" he asked curiously.

"I don't know. They all knew I was a Fire Craft-user, so I don't know what gave someone the idea that I was a witch." She sounded so sad that he wanted to find whoever did this to his "mother" and punish them.

"I'm sorry," he said awkwardly.

She lifted her head up and looked at him. "It's not your fault. There's nothing anyone can do about it now, since it's been about a year since I worked with them." She sighed. "I miss them, though. They were the first people I knew here in Japan, and they were all nice. But that part of my life is over now, and I can't get it back. Right now I'm stuck here in Demon World and I have no clue how to get back."

"I can help you there," he said. "We have to find the demon that made that portal, take him in to a certain someone, and go home."

"How are we getting home?"

"With the little device a certain someone gave us. It creates a portal to Ningenkai for us to go through, but it only works once. We have to find the demon who made the first portal because he'll only make another one once we close this one."

"I see. Who is this 'certain person'?"

"Our boss. It's best that you don't know much about him, because some of us are a bit paranoid that it'll be used against us."

"Are you one of those paranoid people, Hiei?"

"Maybe."

Robin turned her gaze out to the water. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I don't get offended easily."

Worried that he offended her anyway, he hurriedly said, "I just don't think it's relevant what our job is or who we work for. It isn't something you'd be ashamed of."

"You don't have to justify anything with me, you know that. We'd love you if you were a murderer."

_That's a little too close to the truth for comfort. Better change the subject._ "Are you going to follow us and try to find the demon?"

She nodded. "We don't know anything about this place so I think it's better to stay with the ones who do have a clue as to what's going on."

They were silent for a while, just watching the water run past. When the light started to disappear, voices called them back to the others. Somehow they got shelter up; it wasn't much, just Kurama's handiwork with the local plants. Of course, no one outside the Reikai Tantei knew that; the others were just told that the some plants around here grew faster than normal. There was only so much he could do, however. Three different "living quarters" were erected. They weren't big, but it was enough. One for the Spirit Detectives, one for the girls, and one for the other boys.

At the moment, Jordan and Kagome were trying to light the fire; so far, they were unsuccessful. Their kittens weren't helping any. They were very fond of the firewood, and were playing hide-and-seek in it, causing their two humans to look for them every few seconds. Sighing, Robin said good-bye to Hiei and went to help light the fire.

"Let me do this," she ordered, causing the other two to get out of her way after grabbing their kanekos. She glared at the wood and it burst into flames.

_That's Robin for you._ He left them and went to see what the rest of the Reikai Tantei were doing without him. He took to the trees to make faster time. Perched above them, he listened with a little disgust at what they were discussing. _Girls? Really, don't they have something better to talk about? Like, for instance, where the demon we're tracking is?_

Kuwabara was the one currently talking. "My Yukina is the most wonderful girl alive," he gushed. Hiei was not at all pleased that this idiot was still infatuated with his sister. _If he dares make a move on her, I'll rip his heart out!_

While Kuwabara was talking about "his Yukina", Yusuke leaned over to Kurama and commented, "It's a good thing that Hiei isn't here. He'd rip his heart out if he heard Kuwabara talking about his sister that way."

Kurama smiled in agreement. "Yes, it is a good thing. I wonder why Hiei refuses to let him or Yukina know that he is her brother. I have a feeling that Kuwabara would stop speaking like that in his presence, as it isn't a good idea to talk about that to her own brother."

"Hey, Kurama," called Kuwabara, causing them to stop their conversation. "Do you have a girlfriend? I mean, with your looks, you could snag any girl you wanted."

He blushed. This cold-blooded thief actually blushed! "Um, not at the moment, no," he stammered, caught off-guard. _Now this isn't something you see every day._ "I did have one, once. That was how I met Hiei. He thought I was the demon that stole something from him, and I thought he was the demon that took her away. We eventually sorted out what had happened, and he helped me get her back." _I remember that._

"What about you, Urameshi?"

Yusuke's face became a blank mask. "No."

Even the thick-witted baka knew that this wasn't a safe subject around Yusuke. "Oh." Then he went on anyway. "Well, there's bound to be someone out there for you. I mean, there's five, no, four unattached girls here. You can try one of them."

That's when Hiei decided to drop in. "Actually, there's only two, maybe three, unattached girls." He continued after seeing their blank looks. "Robin is with Michael, but that's the obvious one. Kagome loves the person who acts as Inuyasha, which leaves three. And I think one of them has it in for you." He pointed to Kurama, who gave him the deer-in-the-headlights look. "That leaves two."

"Why am I cursed with this kind of luck?" asked Kurama rhetorically.

"It's your looks, fox," Hiei answered him anyway. "Now, I believe that the food is being cooked." That did it. Kuwabara streaked past, intent on getting his hands on whatever's cooking, Yusuke not far behind.

"Shall we, Hiei?" the fox asked. "I'd rather not go to bed with an empty stomach."

Dinner was…interesting. All the human boys seemed to be having a contest of who can eat the most. It was noisy and a little dangerous if you got in their way, but it provided entertainment. After it was done, Kurama and Hiei volunteered to be on the first watch; it was asking for trouble if you traveled with humans and didn't put up some sort of sentry. There were only low-level demons around, so the two friends sat by the fire, staring into its light.

Hiei finally broke the silence. "I've noticed that you've been preoccupied lately."

His friend nodded. "I'm afraid so. I'll try to do better."

"What's on your mind?"

"It's nothing."

"I think that it's quite a big nothing for you to just stare into space with a thoughtful look on your face. It's a female, isn't it?"

"Perhaps."

"I think I know who has your mind."

"Really?"

_He could at least sound a BIT worried! He looks like he could care less!_ "It's that girl you knocked over. Jordan, I think her name is."

He shook his head, smiling ruefully. "You know me too well, Hiei. There's something…off, about her. I'm not sure what, but she's different than a regular human. So is her sister. Neither of them is fully human."

"I know. They have different auras than normal ningens. They take their power from certain animals. Crystal is like a swan; clean and graceful. Jordan has lots of strength from one of the big cats."

"The tiger," Kurama mused. "I'm not surprised. Both descriptions fit them well." His face took on a worried look as he looked at Hiei. "Tell me, which one 'has it in for me'?" he pleaded, his eyes shining with slight fear.

"I don't know if you should know. After all, if you can't find out, maybe you shouldn't know," Hiei taunted him. He immediately regretted this, as Kurama gave him the puppy look and unshed tears sparkled in his eyes. _He does that FAR too well!_ "It's Jordan," he said, defeated.

"I was afraid of that," Kurama sighed.

"Oh?" Hiei questioned.

"She is a tiger; I am a fox. The two don't get along too well." He returned his gaze to the fire. "I would only end up hurting her if I accepted her."

"Then tell her that," Hiei told him. "She'll pine away for you, just like the other females do, unless you tell her you absolutely can't accept her."

"I don't know if I can tell her," Kurama said in a pained voice.

"Don't tell me you've fallen for her," Hiei said in disbelief. "You, falling in love?"

"It's not like we can help it," he said defensively. "I just have to stay away from her. That's all."

"You foolish fox. THEY'RE TRAVELING WITH US UNTIL WE CATCH THAT DEMON! YOU CAN'T STAY AWAY FROM HER!"

"Keep your voice down. Or do you wish to wake everyone in camp and in the surrounding area?" Hiei reluctantly lowered is voice.

"Kurama. You know that you'll only break her heart. I don't think that it'll work out."

"Why do you suddenly care if she's hurt? Not to be rude, but normally you could care less about humans."

"You happen to be my best friend. I'd rather not see you making a big mistake. Besides, we have to work with her, and it's hard seeing someone you don't like every day and have to be civil to that person."

"Sounds like you and Kuwabara," Kurama said in amusement. Hiei said nothing. "Hiei, you know I have plenty of self-control, but this will strain it enormously. Don't you think we could drop them off in a town or something?" he asked hopefully. "Then we could track the demon down faster, and we wouldn't have this problem."

"If that's what makes you happy, fox," he replied, stifling a yawn.

Kurama looked at him in surprise. "Since when did you give in so easily, and when did you start getting tired?"

"It's past my bedtime, that's why I gave in and why I'm tired," he growled at the now quietly laughing fox.

"You've really changed, you know? Ever since we came to the Higurashi Shrine, you've changed. I think it's for the better. I don't know how or why, but you're different."

"I know," the fire demon replied. Feeling a hand on his shoulder, he looked at Kurama with surprise.

"Our shift's over," he explained. "Let's go wake up the next set of watchers."

&&


	10. Chapter 10

**My sister is driving me off the computer, so I can't answer questions right now. I'll try and get some of them in the next one.**

&&

Serena was watching the fire, making sure breakfast didn't burn. Her hands were unconsciously playing with her Ginzuishou. Her neko, Crescent, watched her hands as they moved. Occasionally she would pounce on them, but Serena always moved them before she could land on them. So, one failure after another, she would return to her studying of her human's "paws" before trying again.

_This place doesn't feel right. There are so many demon auras around I can't block them out. I should've just volunteered for sentry duty; it's not like I was able to sleep last night. Why does everything seem to annoy me today? First, they got me up WAY too early, and now they have me watching the stupid food. Maybe it'll serve them right if I let it burn. Wait, that would mean that MY food would be burned, too. Looks like I have to save it._ The sight of the food starting to smoke made her bring out her makeshift gloves and take it off the fire.

"Breakfast, or whatever meal this is," she called. Of course, all the boys were immediately drawn here like magnets, while the girls followed at a more sedate pace. She served the food onto their paper plates so that no one would take more than their fair share, as the boys were apt to do. Serena watched to make sure that no one accidentally stepped on Crescent, since people seemed to never notice until they heard a yowl, followed by the pain of having their legs scratched by claws.

Taking her own food, she sat down a bit farther from the others while still being in their makeshift camp. Crescent leaped onto her lap and rubbed against her, purring.

"I suppose you want to be fed," Serena said to her neko.

Crescent only mewed and continued rubbing her.

Sigh. "Okay, I'll let you try some of mine. I'm not that hungry anyway." Crescent put her paws tentatively on the plate and sniffed the food. After taking one bite, she put her whole face in. _My old friends never would've believed that I would say I wasn't hungry. I was always eating around them, but my appetite's disappeared since then._

She heard footsteps behind her. Turning slightly, she saw the blue-haired boy they called Rowen behind her.

"Is there something you wanted?" she asked, not caring that she sounded more than a little rude.

"You're so far away from the rest of us," he commented in his New York accent. "I just came to make sure you were okay."

"I'm as well as can be expected," she responded coolly. "Was there anything else?"

"Nope," he said easily, sitting down next to her.

"Then why are you still here?"

"I've got nothing better to do, so I might as well stay."

Serena proceeded to ignore him, turning all her attention to Crescent, who was still eating her way through the leftover food. She could still feel Rowen's gaze on her. _Why can't he take a hint and leave? Why does he care if I'm not close to the other people? He doesn't even know me, really._

"Hey, Serena?" he asked.

She looked up and was surprised to see him kneeling in front of her, his attention on Crescent.

"What exactly is this?" He pointed to the kaneko. "I've seen them around the house, but I've never seen a cat like this anywhere else."

"I doubt you'll find them anywhere else," she responded. "She's a fire cat. Kitten, actually. They were only born a couple weeks ago."

"It's a good thing I'm not either of my parents," he said, his face growing dark for a second. "They would've had all of them in a lab and under a microscope before you could say "Wow"."

"What?" _This doesn't sound good._

"My parents are scientists. They travel around a lot, so I never saw much of them. Seeing this fire cat would've made them go crazy. They'd probably call it a new discovery." His face and voice took on a bitter overtone. "They never had time for me. I doubt they even know I'm gone. No, scratch that. I don't think they even know who I am, or that they ever had a son."

"Sounds like you've had a tough life," she commented softly.

"Yeah, but it got better once I met the other guys." He looked in the direction of the rest of the group. "I'm closer to them then I ever was to my family. They'd say the same, since we've all had a chance to go home, and just chose to stay with Mia. Well, some of us had a choice."

"What do you mean?"

"Ryo was in an orphanage since his mom died when he was young, and his dad, a wildlife photographer, was attacked by a wild animal and killed. Yuli hasn't found his parents, and there's a good chance that they're dead, too. And Cye's family lives in England, and he's here until he finishes high-school."

"Why do you think Yuli's parents are dead?" she asked him, curious despite her wishes of him leaving earlier.

"Something happened about a year ago," he said softly. "He was separated from his parents, and we sorta took him in. He's been with us ever since."

"I never would've thought that something like that had happened to someone like him. He seemed so happy." _I've seen this sort of thing happen far too many times. It's always the innocent that suffer from things like this._

"Yuli tries to hide his real feelings from others, even us. But there's not a whole lot we can do about it," Rowen said sadly. "We'd help him if we could, but he hides so much, we can't even start."

Hey, are you two ready to leave yet?" asked an annoyed voice. Spinning around, they saw Kagome was ready to go, as was the rest of the group.

"I guess it's time to leave," Rowen said, sounding a little embarrassed. "Shall we? I don't think it's a good idea to keep the rest of them waiting."

"I agree," replied Serena, picking up her neko. Shuichi took her plate and gave it to one of the plants, which ate it greedily. "It's high time we left this place."

&&

_I really don't like this place,_ Kagome complained to herself. _The bugs are terrible, it's humid, and we have to find a demon that could be anywhere. Those boys seem to know an awful lot about this place, considering that they're human, and humans for the most part aren't allowed in Makai. Their auras are different, now that I actually look for it._

"Robin," she murmured to the Fire Craft-user to her right, "do you sense something…strange…about the three that were with Hiei?"

"They seem to know a whole lot about a place that doesn't welcome humans," whispered Robin, echoing what she herself had just been thinking. "I don't think that they're human."

"I think you're right," agreed Kagome, "but they aren't demons. Inuyasha would've thrown a fit if they were. What else could they be?"

Robin shrugged. "Maybe they're a different type of human, like witches. It's possible, you know."

"Maybe. Their auras are bright like our kind of witches, but they don't seem to be witches."

"Something you wish to share with the class?" asked Jordan, coming up behind them.

"It's nothing," they chorused together. Jordan just raised an eyebrow.

"That's an awful lot of nothing to be talking about," she retorted.

"Um, we were just talking about how we missed our guys," Robin hurriedly whispered. "I mean, we didn't even say good-bye, and now we're stuck in a world full of demons that eat humans. What are the odds of us seeing them again?"

"And this is why you've been whispering?"

"Well, it's not like anyone else needed to listen to us talk about our guys," Kagome said, following Robin's lead.

Jordan didn't look like she believed their lie, but she didn't pursue it. Instead, she dropped back to talk to Serena and Crystal. The other two decided not to mention this conversation until they weren't surrounded by curious people, some of whom they were talking about.

Five days and eighteen grouchy people and nekos later, they came upon their first town. A different aura covered the place, making them wary, but not wary enough for them to avoid the place if it meant they could spend the night NOT in each other's company. However, the place seemed to be deserted. There wasn't a person in sight. Everyone looked puzzled at this, since the town seemed to be well-kept for a ghost-town, but Kagome saw the auras of the townspeople, and sensed their fear.

"There are people here, but they are afraid," she whispered so her voice wouldn't carry outside the group. "Somehow humans found a way into Makai, and created their own village."

"They must think we're demons," said Hiei matter-of-factly. "If they're the only humans here, then it would be logical to think that strangers would be demons. Where do you sense the nearest human?" That question was directed at Kagome.

"There are some hiding in that building," she pointed towards a place that looked like a storage area for food. "Why? What are you going to do?"

"This." He walked over to it, the others following and forming a half-circle around him and the door, waiting to see what he would do. He opened the door. The sound of screaming children filled the air. Startled, he leaped back, away from them and going into defense mode. Children ran out of the warehouse-sized building, but had nowhere to go, as they were boxed in by the half-circle. This, of course, did nothing to ease their panic.

Their cries brought out their parents, who were also in hiding. Bringing out makeshift weapons with them, they charged the group from Ningenkai, shouting. They didn't get very far, however. Kento had picked up a huge wooden beam that used to support the roof of the building that hid the children and threw it right in their path. This earned him stares from all around, except for his four friends. He just shrugged and said, "I work out a lot."

_That wouldn't be the reason he could pick up a beam that weighs more than four monster trucks!_ Kagome internally shrieked.

The townspeople got over their surprise at a wooden beam being thrown at them and had started their forward movement again. "Stupid ningens," Hiei muttered, taking out his katana and preparing to slice through them. However, before he could make another move, some of the children threw themselves on him, preventing him from moving. This served to enrage their parents more, as it looked like he would target their children now.

Before they could come close to Hiei, though, they were stopped by both Jordan and Crystal, who proceeded to shang-hai those closest to them. And of course, the boys weren't about to let girls show them up, and only Serena, Kagome, and Robin were left on the sidelines, trying to keep Hiei from slaughtering every human there. The children refused to let go of him, and the remaining girls wouldn't let him hurt them, so he was stuck. His aura was pulsing madly, indicating that he was furious, but he wouldn't go against either Kagome or Robin, much less both of them, and he was on friendly terms with Serena, so there wasn't much he could do.

"You could at least try to help me," he said in an annoyed tone.

"We are trying, but they won't let us near you," Serena called to him. The other kids had placed themselves between them and Hiei, making it impossible for them to reach him.

"They're only children. How strong can they be?" He was getting impatient.

"They're strong enough. Look at yourself. And you call yourself a demon," Shuichi remarked while fending off angry parents.

"They won't let me hurt these children," he complained. "Besides, if I do, eventually King Yama will find out and I'll be thrown back in this place. And while we're talking about handicaps, why haven't you used your Rose Whip? It would save lots of time and trouble."

"The same reason as you, Hiei," he said as another crazed father slashed at him with an axe. "I like this place no more than you do, and I would miss my mother too much to jeopardize my staying in Ningenkai."

Apparently, they had forgotten that they could be overheard, or they were just past caring at that point. The three girls didn't make much of it, figuring they'd find out later. Instead, they focused on the more immediate problem of getting to Hiei before he lost his temper.

Robin sighed. "Looks like we'll just have to scare them a bit." She stared somewhere in the center of the wall of kids, unblinking. Smoke sprang up and the young ones close to it leaped away, yelling and coughing.

"You didn't." Kagome knew she did, though.

"I did," Robin confirmed. "There's our path, ladies." She walked down the aisle the kids made as they ran from the fire.

"Don't you think that was a bit drastic?" Serena asked as she and Kagome followed the fire witch.

"We had to get them to move, so I burned some dry grass between two kids. It's not that big a deal," Robin replied as she continued on to Hiei. "I didn't hurt them, and they ran before they were burned. No harm done." She glared at the kids still clinging to Hiei, rendering him immobile. They had just seen her glare at the ground and it burst into flame, so they were understandably terrified. Shrieking, they ran like their lives depended on it, which they thought it did. "Now why couldn't you have done something like that?" she asked Hiei, who was trying to get his muscles moving again.

"You wouldn't let me," he replied, picking up his katana. "If I even so much as looked at them with hostility, you'd all fry my sorry backside from here to kingdom come."

"He's right, you know," commented Serena, giggling. "Let's go over to and see what Jordan, Crystal, and the boys did to the adults here."

They had beaten almost all the grown people to the ground, and the only one left standing was apparently the headman of the town. He was glaring fiercely at Yusuke, Jordan, and Kento, who were pointing sharp things towards him. He started babbling something that sounded almost like Japanese, but had mutated, so the listeners were left with a feeling that they should know what he was saying, but not quite knowing what it was. Poor Cye just looked confused; he didn't speak Japanese fluently, and this was completely lost on him.

"Um, do any of you know what he's saying?" asked Ryo, looking at him like he was a crazed lunatic that had just broken out of the nuthouse.

Heads shook a negative. "Who are you?" asked Yusuke slowly.

The man looked surprised. With an obvious effort, he said, "I am Yoshiro. Who are you, demons?"

"We aren't demons!" Ryo said indignantly. Yoshiro only looked at him with confusion and hostility. "We are not demons," he repeated, slower that time. Now the chieftain looked more confused.

"What are you, then?" he asked, still painfully slow.

"We're human," Kuwabara answered him. "What else would we be?"

"But only demons live here."

"Then you must be demons, according to that," Hiei pointed out.

Yoshiro turned red and started shouting in the other language again. They looked at him, nonplussed. "I'm not sure if this is what he's saying, but I think that he's saying that these people aren't demons," Shuichi murmured to the others while keeping an eye on the steaming Yoshiro.

Finally figuring out that they didn't have a clue as to what he and been saying, he muttered something under his breath and stated, "We are not demons."

"Well, neither are we!" exclaimed Kuwabara.

"Thank you for telling him that, Captain Obvious," Yusuke said sarcastically.

"Why did you attack us, if you are not demons?" Yoshiro demanded. "We have done nothing to you, yet you come and destroy our homes."

"You attacked us first," Kento said indignantly.

"No, you attacked our children," Yoshiro pointed out once he understood what Kento said. "We would have left you alone if you had done the same to us."

"All Hiei did was open the door," Yusuke countered. "Your kids screamed and then you came out with pitchforks and axes. What were we supposed to do? Let ourselves get run through?"

One of the children came up and babbled something at him. The worried and wary expression on his face returned with full force. "I have been a fool to believe a story such as yours," he stated stonily. "You summoned fire among our children and almost burned them."

Hiei was suddenly the center of attention of the Reikai Tantei, and the others, since they had no idea what happened, followed their gaze. "Don't look at me," he said crossly, "I wasn't allowed to touch them. Robin's the one who set things on fire."

That transferred their looks to Robin. "I dropped a lit match, and some of the dry plants caught on fire," she lied, holding her hands in front of her. "They startled me, and I dropped it."

The gazes now swung to Serena and Kagome for confirmation. They both nodded their heads, backing up Robin's lie.

Shuichi took it upon himself to explain what happened to Yoshiro. "My friend found a small firestick while we were traveling and kept it. She likes to finger it when she's nervous, and she had it out when it burst into flame. This startled her, so she threw it away from herself, not really aiming at anything. It happened to land amongst the children. She is very sorry about that."

Yoshiro's face cleared up immediately and he turned to the child by him. He asked him something, and the child looked uncertain before nodding vigorously. Yoshiro turned back to them, smiling broadly. "I apologize for our behavior. We thought you were attacking our children, and had to take action. What might bring you younglings to our humble town?"

" 'Younglings'?" Kagome whispered to Serena. "We're the demons coming to eat them, and now we're 'younglings'?"

"Well, all of us are sixteen," she pointed out. "This man appears to be in his early forties, so we would be young to him."

Yoshiro was talking to Shuichi about something, while the children looked at them with awe, their earlier fear forgotten. "I think we'd better tend to the injured," pointed out Robin. "We did hurt them, and it's only right that we heal them."

"Good point," agreed Kagome, "but I think we'd better tell Yoshiro, or we'll be thrown out for practicing witchcraft."

"Would they be wrong?" asked Serena, causing them to laugh. Walking up to Shuichi and the leader of these people, Serena explained that they were going to tend the wounded. Yoshiro absently waved her off after acknowledging what she had said. "Let's get to work," she instructed those not busy, meaning everyone except Shuichi. Robin paired herself with Cye to explain what exactly had just happened, as the poor Brit was still lost.

Serena paired up with Kagome. "Let's get started, shall we?" she suggested.

"The sooner the better," Kagome responded. Gathering her energy, she focused on the first injured person she found, which wasn't hard. Vaguely aware that Serena was using a crystal to heal another person, she released her healing energy into the person. Satisfied that the person was healed, she moved on to the next person. She knew there were too many people to heal like this, so after the first four, she started picking them up with the help of Serena and took them into a building that the kids brought them to.

"I guess this is their hospital," Serena commented when they started putting people on the "beds" there. There were already people there, so they assumed the others knew to take the hurt ones here. They were in the process of bringing another person to the hospital when Shuichi approached them.

"A long time ago, their ancestors came here via a portal from Japan to this place, and it collapsed before they could go back. They've been here ever since. Something was placed over this town so that it repelled demons, but recently, whatever it was broke. It was placed there so long ago, they no longer know what it was, but they know that it isn't there anymore because a demon has been ravaging this place for a while. It creates a portal into this town and takes what it wants before leaving again. It's been happening for a few years, ten to be exact. That's why everyone was hiding when we came. Only demons have come to this place since they've been here. Their Japanese has mutated, but a few know the pure language still."

"How can they still be alive?" Kagome asked him. "I thought humans couldn't live in Makai."

"Did Hiei tell you that?" he asked, his eyes flashing for some unknown reason.

"No," she replied, startled at his intensity. "A friend of mine told me."

"How did your friend know of Makai?"

"I don't know. He only mentioned it in passing, and I didn't think he was serious. I didn't even know what he was talking about."

"Who was he?"

_What's with him?_ "I don't remember. He moved away a long time ago."

Shuichi relaxed somewhat. "I'll go tell the others what's been happening." He turned to leave, but Serena asked him something before he was out the door.

"Could this be the demon you're searching for?"

He stopped at the door. "It could be," he replied, "though I seriously doubt it." He walked out.

"I think we'd better stay here with these humans," whispered Kagome as she and Serena followed Shuichi out the door. "They'll need help if another demon comes along looking for a free lunch, which will be soon."

"I think you're right," Serena whispered back. "That way, Yusuke, Kuwabara, Hiei, and Shuichi can look for that demon, and then we can all go home." She looked uncertain for a minute. "You don't think they'd leave us here, would they?" she asked apprehensively.

"No," Kagome said with confidence. "Hiei would never let them even if they wanted to."

Serena's face brightened. "If you're sure," she said.

&&


	11. Chapter 11

**We had our last band competition yesterday, and we won! It wasn't our best performance, but no one got hurt, so I'm happy. Anyway, now I'll have time to update more. Hopefully.**

**Amarine Nightshade: Everyone's not suspicious of everyone, just Jordan. That's just how she is.**

**Angel452: No, Hiei won't tell on Kagome. Why…I don't know. He's just a secretive guy, I guess. Inuyasha is pulling his hair out trying to find her, but of course, he can't.**

&&

Jordan's mind was still in a haze as she helped Crystal get the injured back inside the "hospital". Hiei's words echoed in her mind. "_They won't let me hurt these children. Besides, if I do, eventually King Yama will find out and I'll be thrown back in this place._ _And while we're talking about handicaps, why haven't you used your Rose Whip? It would save lots of time and trouble."_

"_The same reason as you, Hiei. I like this place no more than you do, and I would miss my mother too much to jeopardize my staying in Ningenkai."_

For some reason, while she knew that Shuichi was one of the four in the park, she never really accepted that he was one of them until now, when he used the same words as them. Actually, it was Hiei that spoke of King Yama, but he wouldn't talk of him unless it was with a fellow spy working for him. Granted, Shuichi might know about King Yama and not work for him, but that wouldn't make sense, if he was holding back for the same reasons as Hiei.

She sighed. _Why does it seem like I never have any luck with guys?_ she asked herself.

_ Talking to yourself again? That's the first sign of madness, you know. _

_Not you again._

_ Like a bad dream, I keep coming back. Of course it's me! _

_Why can't you go away?_

_ You'd destroy yourself, that's why. Now why are you still pining after this redhead? _

_Because he's cute, and he's strong, and other reasons._

_ You're a fool, you know that? You know nothing about him, and you're still attracted to him. And how can you say he's strong? You could beat him in a heartbeat. _

_Probably. But he was holding back when we were fighting these people. I have no idea how strong he really is._

_ You're hopeless. Hopelessly infatuated with this guy's looks. I can't believe we're in the same body. In case you've forgotten, he's still Voice 4. _

_Well, maybe it could be just while we're here. I mean, who knows when they'll find that demon. It doesn't have to last beyond the day we go back home._

_ You're looking for a fling? What kind of person am I sharing a body with? How will that make him feel once he finds out? _

_I'll tell him right up front._

_ What makes you think he'll agree to a fling? What if he wants it to continue after that? He might not want anything to do with you, after all. _

_We'll see what happens._

"Jordan?"

"What?" She looked into her sister's concerned eyes.

"I've been trying to reach you for the past fifteen minutes," she said. "Are you okay?"

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine," she responded. Looking around, she saw that there weren't anymore people on the ground. "Where did everyone go?"

"They've been taken into the hospital," Crystal replied. "We just finished putting the last person in there. Right now the rest of the gang is inside, helping them. You just sorta wandered back out here."

"Sorry about that," she apologized sheepishly. "I was lost in my thoughts."

"I think we're staying here," Crystal continued. "I know Kagome and Serena are, which means Robin's staying. I'm pretty sure the boys will stay with them, but the other four, the ones we ran into, will be moving on to find that demon. I'm all for staying here, but it's up to you."

Jordan knew better than to trust that. What she really said was, "I don't care what you're doing, but I'm staying here regardless." There wasn't really anything Jordan could say to that other than, "I guess we're staying here then."

Crystal put on a brilliant smile and hugged her. "Now we can help these people."

"You know I can't heal worth crap," Jordan pointed out.

"Demons have been showing up here for the last ten years, Yoshiro said. You'll have plenty to do that won't require you to heal anything. I happen to know that your sorry attempts to heal even a small scratch are sure to be messed up in some way."

"Hey!" Jordan yelped, but her sister had a point. It wasn't fair, really. They both could fight, and while Jordan was unquestionably better, when it came to healing, or domestic power, Crystal was the top dog. All she had to do was snap her fingers at dirty dishes, and they would clean themselves, or dusty shelves would dust themselves off. Jordan tried that. Once. The dishes broke, and all the dust went into the air, making her feel like she was suffocating and had major sneezing fits for days after.

"Let's go back inside," the dominant twin suggested. "It's getting cool, and I don't think either of us wants to catch a cold."

"I need to feel the wind blow by me," Jordan said, closing her eyes. "The air inside is stifling, with all those people around. I'll go inside in awhile."

Crystal smiled again. "Okay, see you then." She walked back in to help the townspeople.

_Alone._ She felt the breeze blow past her, cooling her hot body. Looking up, she was surprised at how bright the stars were. "They're beautiful," she breathed, her entire focus on the twinkling lights in the sky.

"They are," a husky voice said right behind her. Whirling, she came face-to-face with Shuichi. Literally. His face was directly in front of her once she turned around. His eyes were dancing at her expression. "I didn't want to disturb you, but I had to add my two cents in when you mentioned the stars." He backed a few steps away before coming to stand beside her, looking up. "They aren't normally this bright. Stars are hard to see here because there are so many trees, but they are beautiful."

Jordan was speechless. _How does he know this stuff? I'd better be careful, or I'll get lost in his voice. Or his eyes. His emerald eyes…_Said eyes were now looking straight into her own. "I believe that we will stay here for a few days, but after that, our paths may part for some time."

"So you're leaving us here for the rest of our lives?" Jordan demanded, finally finding her tongue. "How do we know that you'll come back and take us home?"

"Why would we leave you here?" he asked.

"Why wouldn't you?" she countered.

He shook his head, chuckling. "We aren't that kind of people, Miss Jordan. We would no more leave you here than our own families."

"So, do you know where this demon is?" she asked, changing topics.

"Not yet, but I'll track him tomorrow. I believe I know who we're looking for, as I've met him a long time ago. I could be wrong, but so far I have yet to err."

"Well, whoopee for you," Jordan muttered.

"Pardon?" he asked, looking confused.

"Nothing," she said quickly. "How will you track this demon down?"

"His scent," he answered. "Normally, demons try and mask their scent, as it alerts others of who's near. He, however, flaunts it, as it causes terror. Other demons know he's a dangerous person, and he revels in their fear. Also, we've been told that people with spirit energy or…basically, anyone other than a normal human with no supernatural energy can't harm him."

"If that's true, then you can't hurt him. Is that right?"

He smiled; it wasn't a pleasant smile. "I intend to find that out. First, I have to find him."

"Can you smell him?"

"Not me, no, but I'm sure I can find a demon willing to lend his nose."

"You sound confidant, for a human in a human-eating world," Jordan observed.

"They know not to mess with me by now," he responded easily.

"So you've been here before?"

"Yes. It's not a place I like to be in, and avoid it when possible." He shuddered.

"You know, you should probably go back inside. It wouldn't be good if you caught a cold from staying out here for too long," Jordan remarked.

He smiled at her. "I will be fine. It's just the thought of not finding him soon that makes my blood run cold."

"It's not that bad a place, though. I mean, it would be tough staying here, but one could grow used to it," the human tigress stated. "Sure, there're a lot of demons that you have to deal with, but it isn't all that bad."

"You haven't been here long enough to know that the bad here outweighs the good by too much to consider staying here."

"What if you didn't have anything binding you to our world? Like your mother?"

He spun towards her. "You heard?" His voice was calm, but his eyes and actions suggested otherwise.

"What are you, a spy or something?" she demanded. _This probably isn't the smartest thing to do, but too late now. If he kills me for finding out, then I brought this on myself._

He stared at her for a moment. "Where did you get the idea that I was a spy?" he asked.

"I heard you talking to Hiei earlier, and in the park you were speaking in code to Hiei and two other people."

"Code?" He seemed genuinely confused. "I don't know where you got the impression that we were spies. We aren't, not even close."

"Then why were you and Kuwabara stalking Tanner?"

"We weren't. He was trying to look for something to make us look bad, so we had to make sure he never found what he was looking for."

"Jordan! Shuichi! You'll catch your deaths out there. Come in!" shouted Serena from the inside.

"Looks like we have to go," Jordan said nervously, not sure what he would do next.

He turned around and started walking towards the door. "We won't hurt you," he called over his shoulder. "Trust me."

&&

Healing was exhausting. Robin could see it on Shuichi, Kagome, Sage, Crystal, and Serena's faces when they called it a night. Lines were etched in their faces, making them look older and more worn-out. Yoshiro lent them a hut with more than one room, so they had a place to stay for now. He was thankful that they were healing his people, and apparently wanted them to stay. How long they were actually going to stay was another matter. She knew that Yusuke and the other boys wanted to get a move-on in looking for that demon, and the demon in question might be on the other side of the world for all they knew.

At the moment Robin was leading Kagome to the room the five girls shared. Kagome had stumbled about every other step, so Robin just put an arm around her and half-dragged her the rest of the way. Kagome barely even noticed when she was put in bed; her eyes were almost closed.

A noise at the door caused Robin to look over, but it was just Jordan supporting both Serena and Crystal. Going over, she took Serena from the other girl and led her to her bed.

"I'm almost glad I don't have healing in me," she commented softly to Jordan. "If this is the price of it, it almost isn't worth it."

"True," agreed the fighter while going to her own bed. "But everything comes with a price."

"Some are less harsh than others, though," Robin ventured.

"Yeah, but they also aren't as powerful or as effective. Like, if I didn't spend a lot of time on my fighting, I wouldn't be as good a fighter as I am."

"But still. Having your energy drained every time you use it isn't all that good." She thought for a minute. "Well, they did try and heal more people than normal, and they were using more energy than they were probably used to. You'd think they'd know to pace themselves."

Jordan shook her head. "They're true healers. They don't want to leave a patient injured, so they push themselves."

Robin blew out the light. "How long do you think we'll be staying here?"

From the long silence, Robin gathered that whatever Jordan had thought she was going to say, she wasn't expecting this. "I'm not sure. I was talking with Shuichi earlier, and he said he was going to try tracking the demon they're looking for. They've met before, apparently. If he's not in the area, then I guess either they're going to move on and leave us here, or we'll go with them and they'll drop us off at a different village."

"Well, if they call for a vote, then I vote we stay here, since we know that these people are human, probably the only human village in this place. How is he going to track him?"

"He said he was going to find a demon willing to help him out. These people have been here before, and something made them dislike this place a whole lot. I don't see what's so wrong with it, myself, but I haven't been here for very long. It's not that bad a place, if you think about it."

"If you don't count the demons who want to eat you and the miscolored things, then yeah, it isn't quite so bad. I mean, it's not like there aren't humans that are after your blood back home." There was bitterness in Robin's voice when she said that last part.

"What happened?" Jordan asked cautiously, not sure if this was a touchy subject.

"My friends, my old friends, are hunting me. They want me dead," she said flatly.

"Oh." It seemed that Jordan didn't know what to say to that.

"Kagome's family took me in, and I've lived in the shrine ever since."

"How long ago was this?"

"About a year ago, now."

Silence reigned for the rest of the night.

&&


	12. Chapter 12

**Angel452: No, Hiei isn't going to take Kagome with him. In fact, he isn't even going. Kagome won't be fighting here, so she doesn't think to look for bows; she's more valuable as a healer since there are so many extra fighters around.**

**Amarine Nightshade: Yes, I loved writing Jordan arguing with her conscience. I think Jordan liked it, too, when she read it. Anyway, she's very paranoid, and she'll take drastic measures to make sure she knows what's going on.**

**Dark Inu Fan: I'm glad you like my writing. I realized that I should've put this under the "Yu Yu Hakusho" listing right after I posted. I might redo this later and put it under that category, but for now, it will remain "Inuyasha". I'll need to take another look at the next one and decide if it's "Inuyasha" or "Yu Yu Hakusho". If it changes, I'll put it in the last chapter of this story.**

&&

Yusuke was rudely awakened by Kuwabara yelling in his ear.

"Hey, Urameshi, wake up! We have to go."

"Where's the fire?" he asked groggily, still half-asleep.

"We're deciding on what to do."

"Whaddya mean?"

"Geez, Urameshi, you really are thick. We're deciding on whether we're leaving this place or what."

"Oh, that thing. I'm comin', I'm comin'." He hauled himself out of bed and ran his fingers through his hair. Stumbling after Kuwabara brought him to the other two members of the Reikai Tantei. Kurama looked as relaxed as he normally does, and Hiei looked cold and indifferent, as usual.

Kurama got them started. "I think I might know who we're looking for," he announced. "If it is, then I know how to tell if he's in the area."

"Oh? And how is that, fox?" asked Hiei skeptically.

"Fear. He revels in fear, so he doesn't mask his scent. It's enough to terrify the demons in the area."

"That's stupid of him," the fire Koorime commented.

"Yes, he is a fool in that, but he's powerful, so he doesn't feel the need to mask it. Besides, it makes my job easier. However, I must do this alone. The others don't know about me, and I'd rather they never found out."

"Done. Um, how do you propose we go about telling them?" Yusuke asked, not sure of how to proceed with that part.

"You either tell them right as soon as I leave, or long after I leave, or don't tell them at all," the redhead answered. "I really can't afford to have anyone follow."

"Easier said than done, but okay. When are you leaving?"

"Soon. After breakfast is preferable, but I can leave now if we're that desperate," he offered.

"No, we can't have you go on an empty stomach. That's inhuman," Kuwabara interjected. "After breakfast it is."

"Very well," Kurama agreed, smiling.

"Let's go, I'm starving," exclaimed Yusuke, already heading out the door and almost slamming right into Cye.

"Oh, I'm sorry," the other boy apologized. "I didn't see you there."

"Don't sweat it," Yusuke told the Brit. "I was just heading to the kitchen. Care to join me?"

Cye looked surprised, but agreed to take up the offer. The other three in the room also went with them to see what food they could get (and pack, in Kurama's case) before anyone else entered. They were out of luck, though, since the other boys that were with Cye were already in there, chowing down.

"There you are, Cye," called Kento. "We were going to get you up, but you and Sage were dead to the world, so we decided to let you two sleep in some."

"Thanks, guys," he called back, sitting down next to Ryo. "So, what's on the agenda today?"

"Replacing the storage shed," Rowen answered him. "It collapsed last night, since Kento took away one of the beams that held it up."

"Why did he do that?" Kuwabara asked, confused.

"Remember? The villagers charged us, and he used one of the columns holding the thing up to stop them for a short time."

"Oh, yeah." He laughed sheepishly. "Forgot for a sec."

"There are still people who are hurt and will need tending," Rowen mused aloud. "That'll take up some time. Then there's that demon you're looking for."

"We're taking care of that today," Kurama said smoothly. "If he isn't here, then we'll tell you and look somewhere else."

"How can you do that?" Kento asked, his curiosity peaked.

"We have our ways," was Kurama's mysterious answer.

The rest of breakfast was filled with small talk. The girls came in sometime during the early beginnings of it, but they didn't say much. After they were done, Kurama excused himself to get ready to leave. Only the four of them knew this, of course. At least, that's what they thought.

He came out with his pack and started towards the door. "Good luck," Yusuke called to him.

"Yeah, find him quick," Kuwabara added in.

"Just hurry, fox," was Hiei's form of good-bye.

"I shall hope to return soon, but I don't know if that's possible," Kurama stated. "I won't be gone for too long, though. Good-bye and good luck in repelling other demons."

"Where do you think you're going?" a voice behind them demanded. Spinning around, they faced an angry Jordan, hands on hips and pack over shoulder. "Well?"

"Out," Kurama told her shortly. "And alone."

"I don't think so, buster," she retorted. "I'm going with you."

"No, I can't take anyone with me," he said firmly. "I won't be responsible for looking after you. I can't do that and look for our demon."

"Who said you'd have to?" she questioned, striding forward. "Whether you like it or not, I'm going with you."

_This'll put a heavy drain on his self-control, or rather, Yoko's,_ Yusuke heard Hiei say. But when he looked over at the short fire apparition, he was still looking at Jordan and Kurama. _Did he just broadcast that thought to me? That's not like him._

"It's not a good idea to go out in Makai if you don't know what you're doing," Hiei was telling Jordan. "You could end up getting both yourself and him killed."

Now her eyes were flashing. "I do know what I'm doing, he doesn't have to take care of me, and I HATE it when people try and tell me what to do," she said with quiet intensity. "You're not going to win this argument, boys. If you make me stay here, I'll just end up following him."

"I think we're on the losing side," Kurama said, defeated. "Very well, you may come. But if you fall behind, I won't wait for you."

"You won't have to," she declared. Setting off after Kurama, she never looked back.

"Who votes that she didn't tell anyone that she was going, and that job falls to us?" Yusuke asked. The vote was unanimous, even Hiei raised his hand. _Looks like we have quite a job to do and I don't know if we'll live through this one._


	13. Chapter 13

**My responses are very short because I'm pressed for time right now.**

**Angel452: Inuyasha is searching for a way into Makai, but is failing dismally, and the STN is still capturing witches.**

**Dark Inu Fan: Yes, the healers still aren't fully recovered, but they'll be fine.**

&&

It turned out that Yusuke's prediction was true. Everyone was surprised that Kurama and Jordan had run off to find the demon, but once they got over the shock, things got violent.

When Crystal was told, her face turned stony. "So she just left without saying anything to us? Not even good-bye?" Her voice got higher with each word.

Yusuke nodded, cringing.

"And you didn't even try to stop her?" Now her voice was deadly quiet.

"We did try, but she wouldn't listen," Yusuke protested, but it was futile.

A frying pan appeared in her right hand. "You didn't try hard enough," she stated flatly before proceeding to chase him around the entire town, swinging her pan at him in an attempt to smack him across the world.

&&

Hiei watched the whole Crystal-Yusuke fiasco from a rooftop. _We probably should've tried harder,_ he told himself. _I don't know how strong that fox's willpower is, but I doubt he could stand against Yoko if he was to come out. That poor girl. Wait, am I feeling sorry for a ningen? I must be worried if I'm feeling sorry for a human child. Living with Kagome must have changed me in more ways than one._

He flipped onto his stomach and watched the five boys spar with each other on the other side of the hut. They were actually pretty good, good enough to give the Reikai Tantei a run for their money, but he wasn't paying much attention to them. _Fox, if you lose your cool, no one will be forgiving here._

"Hiei!"

He crawled on his elbows to another side of the roof. "Yes?" he called down to Serena, who was standing right under him.

Her head snapped up. "There you are," she said. "I was looking for you."

"I've been up here, watching the world go by."

"Care for some company?"

"It's not my roof. Come up if you feel like it."

She got up with lots of help from our favorite fire demon. "Thanks," she panted. "I know you like your privacy, so we try not to violate it too much."

"So what brings you up here? I thought you'd be healing the patients."

"None of them are in danger or in pain, so we decided to take a small break. Why did Shuichi and Jordan leave?"

That was completely out of the blue. He knew it would come, but not quite so soon. "They went to look for the demon. Well, Shuichi did, and Jordan decided to play tagalong."

"She wouldn't have gone if she didn't think she could help," Serena admonished him. "She probably thought it would take both of them to find this demon. Does it have a name?"

"What?"

"This demon. Does it have a name? I mean, you all call it 'the demon' so I was wondering if it had a name."

"No. He might've had one at one point, but not anymore. He's just a demon now. If we needed to call him something, he's referred to as 'That demon'."

"I see." They watched the boys fight each other for a while, not speaking. Then, "I'd better check on the patients. It wouldn't be a good thing if they died because we didn't keep an eye on them." He didn't move. "Why don't you go and fight with them?" she suggested. "You're bored, I can tell. Just go down there and fight. I'm sure they won't mind." She left.

_She's right. I'll be bored out of my mind here without something to do. Maybe Yusuke will be free to spar. No, he's being chased by that scary sister of Jordan's. I don't feel like running from an angry female, so that's out. The buffoon could use some work, but there isn't really a place to fight safely around here. Maybe I could try those other ningens._ Finally making up his mind, he jumped down and walked slowly towards the other boys. After watching them for a few minutes more, he stated, "You're not too bad, but you could definitely use some polishing."

It was comical how they all immediately got into defense positions when he spoke. It wasn't like they could've stopped him if he wanted to hurt them; they were just too slow. They didn't relax when they saw who it was.

"What do you want?" demanded Ryo. It wasn't exactly rude; he just happened to catch them off-guard.

"I saw your fighting skills. They aren't terrible, but there's room for lots of improvement."

"And how would you know?" asked Kento.

_These poor, ignorant fools._ "You haven't been trained properly. It's a start. Not much of one, but a start. You haven't reached your full potential yet."

"I think he's asking for a fight. What do guys think?" Rowen stated more than asked.

Hiei used a small amount of his speed to get behind Rowen. Of course, this was still to fast for them to catch, so it seemed like he disappeared. "I think you're right," he said right in the blue-haired boy's ear. This startled the boy so much he leaped three feet into the air.

"How did you do that?" he demanded.

Hiei only smirked at him. "That's for me to know," he responded. His ears picked up the sound of someone charging from behind, so he jumped away to land beside the side of the hut, while Kento ran right into Rowen.

"It's not a good idea to challenge someone like that until you know what their strengths and weaknesses are," Hiei informed the downed pair while he leaned against the side of the hut. "That kind of assault can get you and those around you killed."

"What are you?" asked Ryo, staring at him. "No human can move that fast."

"Probably not," he agreed. "But what I am will stay with me until either you defeat me or I feel like telling, both of which I highly doubt will occur."

"Oh, it will, little man," Kento boasted as he got up.

"Hn. Not all of your strengths combined are enough to stop me at the moment."

"Is that a challenge?"

"Charge me all at once if you will. You still won't win." That got them fired up, just as Hiei hoped. They all came from different sides, which was not something a novice would do. _I guess they've practiced this before. Better remember that._ He still was able to leap over them and land outside the circle they had hoped to trap him in.

Their looks were ones of shock, but it quickly disappeared. Their bodies glowed for a second and they were now covered in some kind of metal. _Interesting. This may be more of a challenge than I thought._

"So this is also a part of your strength, to call up metal to protect yourselves? It won't save you from a demon on the warpath," Hiei commented.

"That shows how much you know of us," snapped Ryo. They tried splitting up, to keep his focus from centering on just one place.

_Too bad they don't know I can read their minds. They can't hope to take me by surprise._ Once again, he moved out of the way, making them almost collide with each other. "Like I said, good idea, but it needs polishing," he informed them.

"How can he do that?" Cye panted. "It's like he can read our minds."

Hiei only smirked at them. "Is this the best you can do?" he asked in a bored tone. "If so, then Kuwabara is more a challenge than you are."

The game went on a while, and they got close a few times, but never managed to land a blow on him. By the time they were done, they were panting and out of breath, and Hiei was barely sweating. "I think I now know better than to fight you again," he said, allowing himself to sound just a little disappointed. "I was hoping for a challenge."

"How did you do that? We couldn't even get near you," said Ryo.

"I practice." Hiei let it go at that and once again used his speed to jump to the roof again.

"Why didn't we use our armors?" he heard Kento ask.

"Because he isn't an enemy," was Sage's patient reply. "Our armors would've smoked him."

"So why didn't we use them?" he asked again.

"He would've been killed, probably," Rowen answered.

"But you saw how fast he was," argued Cye. "No human could possibly move that fast."

"Well, someone can, or else he isn't human."

"Then what would he be, huh? A demon?" Kento asked incredulously.

"He might be. Then again, he might just be a short human who can move really fast."

"If you say so, Rowen," Cye gave in. "It's a bit too much for me to take in at the moment. Let's go in."

The sound of stumbling footsteps leading away signaled that they were following Cye's suggestion.

"Disappointed?" Serena's voice came from behind him.

He turned to face her, saying, "Ever since I moved in with you ningens, I've been going soft. Six months ago I would've known if someone was within a mile of me, and now I can't sense someone who's right behind me."

"That's not such a bad thing," she reassured him. "You just know that we won't hurt you, so you aren't as on guard as you were before."

"But I should be on guard," he argued. "We're in Makai. There're things here that won't hesitate in killing you."

"Does Shuichi know that?" she asked, concerned.

"Yes, he knows, but Jordan probably doesn't. She'll learn quick enough, though, if she isn't eaten right away."

"Don't even say that." She shuddered.

"She'll be fine as long as she stays with Shuichi," he said, remembering at the last second to call him Shuichi.

"I hope so, Hiei," she murmured. "I hope so."

&&

"Hey, you okay?"

Crystal's head came up off the table. Looking down at her, concern in his eyes, was Ryo. "Yeah, I'm fine," she answered. He sat down, and she noted how his black hair was clinging to the wet clothes around his shoulders. "Been working out?"

He sighed. "Hiei just gave us the workout of our lives. I didn't know anyone could be so fast, and I've seen some fast people."

"Well, Hiei's different. Maybe his speed makes up for what he doesn't have in height."

"Maybe. So I guess you're done chasing Yusuke around."

"I didn't catch him. I still can't believe that they let my sister go off on her own when this place is filled with things that eat humans."

"They seemed pretty confident that Shuichi could take care of her."

"Why would she leave without me? She knows I hate it when we're not together."

"She probably wanted to protect you."

"She's always doing that!"

"What?" He looked confused.

Sigh. "She's the older of the two of us, so she's always looking out for me. When we were still at the orphanage, she would bring me extra food and do little things for me."

"I thought you two were twins."

"We are, but she was born a few minutes earlier. Don't get me wrong, I'm not ungrateful for what she's done for me. I just worry that one day she'll wear herself out and I'll be left alone."

"You won't be alone," Ryo reassured her. "You still have Michael, don't you?"

"You don't understand. When you have a twin, there's a strong bond formed before either of you are even born. I can almost feel what she does, and at times, we can understand each other's thoughts without anything being said. I know that if she dies, I will probably lose my sanity and part of my soul. Now, here she is, wandering around in a place crawling with things that eat humans."

"So you're worried that she'll die and you'll lose your mind?"

"I don't care if I lose my mind. What I don't want to happen is for her to die. I don't care what happens to me, as long as she's safe."

"You're very selfless."

Crystal laughed. "No, I just worry about her. She's my sister, after all, and we're closer than most siblings. I suppose I should see if I'm needed still. Come with me?" They got up, but Ryo winced as his side brushed the table. "What's wrong?" She bent down, ignoring his protests. "What happened?" she asked looking up at him.

"Nothing. I just bruised it while we were fighting Hiei."

"That's some bruise," she commented. "There's blood coming through. I'll tend to it."

"No, really, it's nothing," he protested.

"I'll need to talk to Hiei about that, too," she muttered to herself. "Come on, let's go get this fixed." She took his hand and gently but insistently pulled him in the direction of the "hospital".

"Thank you," he said.

"Hm?" She wasn't paying much attention.

"Thank you. For healing me."

"Oh." She smiled. "I'm a healer. It's my job to heal the injured."

He smiled back at her. "You are very kind." He held the hand that was pulling him.

"I try to be."

&&


	14. Chapter 14

**I'm not allowed to post any more review responses, so I'm sorry about that. Still, to Dark Inu Fan (because you reviewed before this was in effect), maybe I will put in fire vs. fire. We'll see. And Angel452, Kagome is healing the injured people. They weren't all healed in that one day, so she still has to work. She also doesn't have time to yell at Hiei since she's with the injured all day. I'd say more, but I'm afraid I'll get in trouble, so I'll cut it off here and continue the chapter.**

&&

"Kagome! Kagome!" Inuyasha shouted her name, leaping from tree to tree, searching for some clue as to where she and the others had disappeared to. His nose had followed her scent to this wooded area, but then it mingled with some other scents, all familiar, and disappeared. That confused his senses to no end, but he refused to give up, so he kept looking, calling for her. "Kagome! Kagome!"

"Any sign of them?" Mia, Kagome's cousin, called up to him.

"None," he shouted back, his eyes still scanning the woods, even though they'd already combed this same area over and over. _Kagome, where are you?_

"What about you, Michael?"

The orange-haired boy shouted a negative. Inuyasha jumped to another tree and looked for clues as to what had taken his mate and her traveling companions. Still nothing. He growled and leaped to a different tree, worry gnawing at his insides.

Below him, the others were looking for their missing friends, too. Inuyasha tracked everyone to this place, and then they went off on their own to look for their friends. Sango was missing in action because she needed to care for her children, and Kirara was with her, but everyone else was out in the woods, searching. Shippo had to put an illusion on himself and Inuyasha in case someone saw them, but Inuyasha didn't spend much time where the stray pedestrian would see him, so that was pretty much unnecessary.

_I don't understand. Where did their scents go? They go to right about here._ He stopped at a group of trees at the edge of a clearing. _And then they disappear._ He growled. _This has never happened before. Why wasn't I there to protect her from whatever made her scent disappear? I knew her world was dangerous; why did I leave her alone?_ His eyes narrowed, and he leaped out of the trees to the ground. Sniffing around, he could tell exactly where her scent ended. _I will find you! I'll ever give up until you're safe with me again._ "Kagome! Kagome!"

&&

Jordan was doggedly following Shuichi through the trees, once again doubting her hasty decision to follow him. _How can he find a demon willing to help us out if he goes by so fast that he misses them completely?_

Just then he stopped abruptly. "Wait here," he commanded softly. He moved out of her sight, but with her hearing she could tell he stopped just a few feet away. He said something in a strange language, and she heard something say something back to him. Coming back, he motioned her to follow once again. This was a change. For the past three days and nights, they moved nonstop, and now it appeared that he found a lead.

"Did you find something?" she asked as he picked up the pace.

"Yes, it seems that he's been in this area for quite a few years. However, I don't depend on one story. The demon might be lying, so I need to ask a few more. But we have to find a place to stay dry for now. It'll rain soon."

Looking up, she saw that there wasn't a cloud in the sky. "Are you sure?" she asked skeptically. "There aren't any clouds, and it's been bone-dry the entire time."

He looked at her crossly. "I think I would know if it were to rain," he stated before continuing his ground-eating pace.

Sure enough, it started pouring, and they could barely see what was in front of them. "Why don't we find a place to rest?" she shouted over the howling winds.

"There's a cave not far from here. It's just up ahead," he hollered back. He grabbed her hand (after a couple misses) and yanked her into the rock opening that she was about to pass by.

"How did you know where this was?" she inquired. "I could barely see what was in front of my nose."

"I've been here before," he told her. "It doesn't look like it'll lessen anytime soon, so we might as well get comfortable." He got out some blankets from his bag and started setting them up.

"It doesn't look like you think it'll let up anytime tomorrow, either," she commented as she watched him arrange things around the cave to make it homier.

He looked up at her. "It might not," he said seriously. "It will be a major setback, but it's not something that can be helped. Where would you like to stay?" He meant where in the cave, but she took it as in would she like to stay inside or out.

"I'll stay in here, thanks," she stated. "I'd rather not get wet."

"I meant on which side of the cave would you like to stay," he informed her.

"Oh, whichever side you don't choose," she said in an offhand manner.

"Very well." He put blankets for her on the opposite side of where he was staying. "I know we normally keep going long past this, but now is a good time to catch up on lost sleep." He burrowed into his makeshift bed and closed his eyes.

"Um, Shuichi?" He opened one eye and looked at her. "If all the wood is wet, how will we cook our food?"

"We'll use whatever we can," he murmured, closing his eye again. "And I have dry food we can eat if need be."

After a few more minutes of relative silence, his breathing evened out and deepened, signaling that sleep finally claimed him. Jordan crawled deeper into the cave and did something only a female could do: change while staying decent the entire time. It wasn't that she didn't trust Shuichi; the guy was asleep, after all. But, some things are so deeply ingrained that it becomes habit and they don't realize that they're doing it anymore.

Walking quietly back to "her" side of the cave, she laid her wet clothes out to dry and watched Shuichi sleep. He seemed peaceful and still beautiful. Then a wave of dizziness overcame her. _Maybe he's right,_ she thought as she crawled into her own makeshift bed. _Now's a good time to catch up on sleep._ She closed her eyes, and darkness came over her.

Blearily she opened her eyes. It seemed like she had just fallen asleep, though according to her watch, that was six hours ago. Sitting up, she looked around, wondering what caused her to wake up at two in the morning. Her gaze focused on Shuichi, who was now tossing around and moaning softly. Curious, she crawled over to him. He was covered in sweat, and his face was scrunched in pain.

"Shuichi?" she asked quietly. He didn't react. "Shuichi?" she tried again, louder this time. Again, no response except for the continued tossing. She was about to shake him when he cried out and sat up bolt right, almost hitting her. His eyes were wide, and he looked almost frightened. "Shuichi?" she asked tentatively.

His head snapped towards her. "Are you okay?" she questioned. "You didn't look so good there."

He shook his head as if to clear it of whatever had been plaguing him. "I'm fine," he said, smiling slightly. "Just a bad dream. Did I wake you?"

"Yeah, but it's not that big a deal," she said, though if it had been anyone else they would've been made into punching bags. Excepting Crystal, of course. "It's still raining, so we can't go anywhere. Besides, it's two in the morning. Can you go back to sleep?"

"I don't know if I can," he admitted. "You sleep. I'll watch the rain. I know that I should sleep, so when I feel that I can without dreaming, I will. If it stops raining before I'm up, just wake me. We have a lot of ground to cover."

&&

Kurama watched as Jordan settled back into her side of the cave. _Why did I have to have that nightmare again?_ he wondered as the rain fell across the cave's entrance. _I was back in the Dark Tournament. It's always the same. First, Roto threatens my mother, and then it changes to the fight with Karasu. What triggered that dream? Why now, and not when we first got here? Maybe it hasn't hit me until now that I'm back in Makai. I hope my mother isn't too worried about me._

Jordan turned over in her sleep. He turned to watch her once more. _What possessed her to come with me? She doesn't know how dangerous this place is, especially to ningens. Humans are their first choice of food, since there are no humans here in Makai, except for maybe that small band of humans we just left. It would have been far better for the both of us if she had stayed behind._

The storm outside wasn't lessening any. _We might be stuck here for who knows how long. This doesn't look good. And I thought my self-control was strained already. Now if Yoko can stay quiet, I might be able to get through this in relatively good shape._

A noise from the interior of the cave caught his attention. On alert, he cautiously got up and into a defensive position. However, it was only a mouse. Letting out his breath that he had unintentionally been holding, he sank back down to the ground. A sneeze caught him off-guard. _Where did that come from?_ A series of sneezes came after that, leaving him barely enough time to breathe. Then he became aware that he was still in his soaking clothes. _No,_ he told himself, denying what his body was telling him. _I can't be sick; there isn't time._ However, it was hard to keep telling himself that when waves of dizziness barraged him. Falling back into his blankets, the world started spinning. His last conscious thoughts were of his mother, and how he wished she was there.

&&


	15. Chapter 15

**Very long chapter this time. Hopefully it isn't boring.**

&&

Something woke Jordan. She wasn't sure what it was, but it wasn't normal. Rolling over, she saw that the rain was still strong. As she tried to sit up, she glanced at Shuichi. He was lying down, still in the same clothes. _So he did manage to get to sleep._ But there was something wrong. She couldn't hear him breathing. Walking over on her knees, she cautiously leaned over him and froze. His face was flushed, and his breathing was shallow. He was dripping in sweat, but was shivering at the same time.

"Shuichi?" She shook him, trying to wake him up. He didn't respond at all. She tried again, shaking him harder. Still no response. "Come on, Shuichi, wake up. We can't afford to have you sick." He just refused to wake up. _This doesn't look good._ Grabbing his blankets, she wrapped them around him. It wasn't enough to warm him up, so she went to her side and wrapped her blankets around him as well. She was rummaging around in her own pack for more blankets when he decided to rejoin the world of the living.

"Jordan?" he called weakly. She was by him in an instant.

"You shouldn't talk much," she said gently, "you're sick. I don't know how sick, but it's enough."

"I can't afford to be sick," he muttered. "Is it still raining?"

"Yeah. We can't go anywhere, so it looks like we're stuck here until you get better."

"I'm not sick," he insisted. "Just a little under the weather."

"That would mean you're sick," she said patiently. "Now we have to find a way to get a fire started. You need to keep warm."

"In my bag, there are small packets. Would you get out the red ones?"

She did as she was asked, wondering why he would want these. Giving them to him, she watched as he separated them into different piles. "Now we need something to burn," he remarked. "You wouldn't happen to know where we could find some, would you?"

"I'll go look back there." She indicated the back of the cave with a wave of her hand.

"Take one of the lights with you," he advised, handing her one of the flashlights. "There might be bats or rodents back in the dark."

Forewarned, Jordan stepped out into the dark, but she didn't turn on the light. Instead, she relied on her tiger senses, which included good sight in the dark. Not wanting to leave him alone for too long, since he might get worse, she quickly scanned the area around her. It was a little claustrophobic, being a cave and all, but it opened up a bit and got lighter.

Cheered by the light, she hurried forward, only to stop short. It led right outside into the rain. Her ears flattened against her skull, broadcasting her disappointment. _Maybe there's wet sticks out there that I can bring inside. They'll be good once they're dry. But that means I have to get wet. Decisions, decision. I wonder which I'll choose: staying dry or try drowning myself in this. But then Shuichi won't get better._ She shook her head and prepared for a big shock. _The things I do for you, Shuichi._ Done preparing, she charged out into the icy cold weather, her fur being drenched in seconds.

"Yah!" she yelped as the freezing drops seemed magnetically attracted to her, and the wind seemed to be in a contest to see which could rush by faster and make her the coldest. Using as much speed as she was able, she located some dead branches and hauled them to the interior of the cave.

When she as done, she checked her watch, which was still inside the cave. It had taken her three hours to find and drag back the branches. _Crap!_ she yelled at herself, speeding back to "camp". For some reason, it took almost fifteen minutes to get back there. Panting, she looked at Shuichi, who was laying down by a small fire, his glazed eyes staring into the fiery depths.

"Shuichi!" she shouted, trying to get him to look up. She succeeded. Startled, he jerked into an upright position, before relaxing.

"Oh, Mother," he said, trying to get up. "I had the strangest dream."

"Shuichi?" she asked, confused. _Mother? This is just great. Now he's delirious._

He continued trying to get up, but he didn't have the strength. "Did you need help with anything?" he asked, struggling to rise.

Putting aside her bewilderment, Jordan pushed him back down and knelt next to him. "You're very sick, Shuichi," she told him bluntly. "You need to stay here, lying down."

"Yes, Mother," he said obediently. She put a hand to his forehead, and yanked it right back. He was almost hot enough to fry eggs. Digging in her bag, she produced a bottle of juice and gave it to him.

"Drink," she ordered. Taking the bottle from her, he started sipping it. "I know I have a pot in here somewhere," she muttered to herself, once again rooting through her bag in search of something that would hold water. "His temperature's too high. It has to come down, but if he gets the shakes, it'll only rise." When a hand was placed on her shoulder, her head snapped around to look right into Shuichi's face, drenched in sweat. "What are you doing out of bed?" she demanded, taking his arm and hauling him back to bed.

"You were looking for something, so I thought I'd help you look," he offered as an explanation. "You usually don't lose something, so I thought it would be best if I helped."

"Shuichi," she began sternly, "you are not to move from this bed unless I specifically say so. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Mother," he said again, the obedient boy once more.

"But first, you need to change your clothes," she stated, looking at his soaked clothes and knowing that he would feel every draft in those. "Can you do this yourself?"

"Yes," he said, trying to walk and failing.

Jordan sighed. "You stay here," she commanded, "I'll get your clothes." After rummaging around in his bag, which was a lot bigger than it looked, she finally found clothes that had long sleeves, but let a little air through. Walking back over to him, she half-walked half-dragged him over to where there was a little light, but not enough for her to see what exactly he would be doing. "You change, and tell me when you're done."

He acquiesced, like the mother's boy he was. She waited patiently for him to finish, half-afraid he'd collapse, or not have enough energy to finish changing.

Fortunately, her fears didn't come to pass. He called weakly, and she was there in an instant. Taking his wet things under one arm, she acted as his crutch again and hauled him back to the flames and handed him another bottle of juice. "Finish it," she ordered, her voice brooking no argument. He did as he was told, and she set his things to dry by the fire. "How did you start the fire?" she asked casually.

"With this," he replied, holding up a red packet. "There are matches in here, and I just emptied a packet into another one, and used the empty one as kindling. It isn't much, but it's something."

"There weren't matches in those," she pointed out. "I had to hand them to you, and those were the strangest matches I've ever felt, if that's what they really are."

He gave her a strange look before saying, "We were making matches that looked like seeds in school today."

"Whatever, Shuichi, whatever," Jordan said.

"Are you all right, Mother?" he asked in a concerned tone. "You're acting strangely. Maybe you should be the one to lie down."

"Don't you dare try to get out of that bed, Shuichi!" Jordan threatened him. "If you get worse, I'll have to blame myself. Now drink this." She handed him another juice bottle.

"Mother, you're going to drown me in juice," he sighed as he started sipping the drink.

"That's the idea," she responded absently, taking the finished bottles and setting them off to one side. Going through her bag again, she finally found a pot at the bottom of the pack and set it off where it could catch the rain. Coming back inside, she found Shuichi looking at her strangely again.

"Why did you put that pot outside the window?" he asked curiously.

"So it'll catch water," she answered him, walking towards the dark end of the cave. "I'll be right back, so don't go anywhere," she called over her shoulder. _I need to get some of those sticks by the fire, so they'll dry faster, and we'll have more fire._

Running along, she grabbed a handful of branches and set off at a run to make sure the redhead didn't kill himself. Upon returning, she found his staring into the fire again, the empty bottle in his hands. Setting the wet sticks near the fire on her side, she got the now overflowing pot and set it over the tiny fire after pouring a small amount of excess water out. Handing him another bottle and ignoring his complaints, she watched the water as it started to boil. She put the used bottles and caps in it and took it off the fire.

"Why did you do that?" Shuichi asked her.

"Because you're sick, you drank out of them, and they have to be cleaned," she answered as she used tongs to get the now clean bottles and caps out of the still boiling water.

"You didn't use soap," he pointed out. "Are you sure you're all right?"

"Yes, I'm fine, and I didn't use soap because we need to save it for us humans," she said, starting to get exasperated with him. "Here." She set seven bottles of juice and water next to him. "I don't want you to leave a single drop in those."

He sighed and started drinking the liquids, giving her sorrowful looks. _I know it's not the greatest thing, but we need to get that temperature down. I don't know how to find this demon, and how would I explain to the others that I let you die because of a fever?_

"Mother," he called softly. Jordan looked at him. "Must I finish all these? I don't know if I'll be awake long enough to finish them."

Putting a hand on him, she felt how he was much cooler than earlier. "Go to sleep," she told him.

He gave her a brief smile before lying down. He was asleep in seconds. Jordan looked at herself. _Mother? I'm not sure that being called someone's mother is very flattering, even if the person is delirious._ She tried going to sleep, but after Shuichi tried to leave (still delirious), she decided to stay closer to him. After all, if he got out in the rain and got worse, she wouldn't be able to help him. Crystal was the healer, not her. He still tried to leave, but she got to him before he could go five steps. That was when she gave up on trying to sleep. When he got up, she just about shoved a bottle of water or juice down his throat; he still had a fever to fight, after all.

"Dang it, the fire's too low," she muttered to herself, scooting over to the dying flames and adding the branches. "Now I need to get more. Better make it quick." Going almost faster than the original trip, she grabbed more branches and speeded back to the sick boy. Thankfully, he hadn't moved since she left him. Digging around in his bag for the dry food he claimed to have, she found her quarry and sat next to his sleeping form. Leaving about two-thirds of it to one side, she started eating the crackers. About one fourth of the way through one roll, she set them aside and went outside for the water collector, as the pot now was. Boiling it, she poured it into the clean bottles for both herself and Shuichi.

"Jordan?" she heard her name called. Turning to the now awake Shuichi, she smiled at him.

"So, you're back to yourself?" she teased.

He looked at her questioningly. "You've been calling me 'Mother' for the past," she checked her watch, "eighteen hours."

"I'm sorry, I don't recall anything past feeling not quite like myself," he confessed. "I do apologize for being a burden to you."

"This is why you don't travel alone," she informed him. "What would've happened if I hadn't been here? What would you have done then?"

He shrugged. "I would've born it to the best of my abilities, I guess," he replied. "It's not like I would've been able to take a break if I had gotten ill alone. No one would've known if I had achieved what I set out to do."

"I don't think they know now, even though we both left," Jordan commented.

"But there's a better chance of making our goals with more than one person doing it," he pointed out.

"Here." She pushed the dry food towards him. "You need to eat. I've basically filled you with liquid to the point of bursting, but you haven't eaten anything, and I know that's bad, but I needed your fever to come down."

He started on it immediately. "These are from my bag, aren't they?" he asked as he ate, somehow talking in between the small bites.

"Yeah," she admitted. "You said you had them, so I looked for them. They weren't that hard to find."

"Thank you," he said gratefully. "I doubt I have the energy to go to my bag, so if you didn't, then I wouldn't be eating."

"No problem," she waved away his thanks, even though she was glowing inside. "By the way, now that you're not delirious, why don't you heal yourself," she suggested. "I saw you heal the people back in the human town, so I know you can."

"Actually, I can't," he contradicted her. At her puzzled look, he expanded on his answer. "A healer can cure others, yes, but he can't heal himself. You can't see what you're doing, since it's your body. It's physically and mentally impossible."

"Oh." _That's definitely a damper._ "So we just have to wait, then?"

"We can't afford to wait," he responded, setting the food off to one side. "We've wasted enough time because I was sick." He tried getting up.

"Oh, no," Jordan stood up and pushed him back down. "You're not going anywhere. If you go now, you'll get worse, and we'll be stalled even more. You'll stay here if I have to sit on you." She crossed her arms and sat between him and the entrance/exit.

"As you wish," he said, settling back down. "We'll stay here for now."

"Good. Now, go to sleep. I know you've had loads already, but it'll help you fight this thing." She lay down beside him.

"Don't you think you're a bit close?" he asked, sounding a little surprised.

"I'm not taking the chance that you'll go back into delirium," she replied, trying to find a comfortable position. "If you try and leave, I'll have to tackle you again, so it's just better all around if I stay here."

"Suit yourself," he said, taking it all in stride.

When Jordan woke up, she was surprised to find that they had slept for eight hours, but what surprised her more was that she was in Shuichi's arms, or he was in hers. His face was buried into her neck, so all she saw was his red hair and felt his steady breathing.

"Eep!" She scrambled away from him, back to "her side" of the cave. He stirred, looking up at her.

"Are you alright?" he asked sleepily.

"J-just ducky," she squeaked.

Now he was looking at her with concern, and crawled over to her. "Are you sure?" he asked, sitting beside her.

"Yeah, I'm sure."

He still looked puzzled. "If you say so." He looked over his shoulder to the back of the cave. "We'd better be careful. I think a family of particularly large water imps have joined us, though they're pretty far back there and shouldn't come this way unless something bothers them."

"How do you know?"

"I can smell them." From the surprised look on his face, she surmised that he didn't mean to say that.

"How can you smell these things?" she asked him. "No one's nose is that good."

"I almost went blind once, so I had to rely on my other senses to get me around," he offered as an explanation. She didn't buy it for a second.

"Don't lie to me," she said flatly. "No one can get their sense of smell that good. I don't know what you are, but you're not human."

"But I am," he protested.

"Not full human," she replied. Silence, then…

"You're part right," he finally admitted. "I am full human, or at least Shuichi is."

"Who are you?"

"They used to call me Yoko Kurama, or just Yoko. I died, and possessed the unborn child of a woman, and became her son. She named me 'Shuichi', but I go by Kurama to my friends in Spirit World."

"Spirit World?"

"I work for Koenma sometimes, the ruler of Spirit World. They consider me a part of the Reikai Tantei, though the only one who works for them full-time is Yusuke. Kuwabara helps him out, even though he isn't required to."

"Why do you help, then?"

"Hiei and I were either to help them or be sent back to Makai. We were excused after the second major mission."

"Hiei? What does he have to with you?"

"He was a thief, and enlisted my help in stealing three artifacts, the Reikai artifacts. I only agreed because my mother was dying, and one of the items would heal her."

"Why did you have to steal them? Couldn't they've loaned them to you, or something?"

He laughed bitterly. "Loan? These were three of the most dangerous items in the three worlds of Makai, Ningenkai, and Reikai. The one Goki, our partner in crime, wanted stole human children souls and stored them inside the Orb of Baast. Hiei took the Shadow Sword, which turned any human it cut into a low-class demon." He hung his head. "I was after the Forlorn Hope. Its power was at its fullest during the full moon, and would grant a person a single wish. However, the conditions were severe." He stopped talking.

"What conditions?" she prodded.

"In order for the wish to be granted, the person making the wish would forfeit their life."

"But you're still alive, so then, what happened? Did your mother die?" Jordan was now thoroughly confused.

"No, I didn't die, but neither did my mother. Yusuke wanted the mirror to take his life instead of mine, because no mother should be saddened by the loss of their child. Well, the Forlorn Hope granted my wish and didn't take any lives, since they were pure wishes from both of us. I personally think that it couldn't take Yusuke's life and grant his wish at the same time, so it just didn't take any lives," he finished.

"Well, that's a good thing, then, isn't it?" she asked.

"I suppose it is," he agreed. "No one was killed."

She sighed. "Life is so short," she said meditatively. "We only live long enough to know what we want, and then we die. But you don't have that problem, do you? You're a demon, after all."

"What makes you think that we get what we want?" he asked.

"Well, you have time to find what makes you happy. And when you find it, you're all set for the rest of your life."

"What if what we want is mortal?" he questioned softly. "My mother is mortal. What I want is for her to live out her life being happy, but I'm sure that I will be devastated when she dies."

"So what would make you happy is to see your mother live for as long as you."

"Yes, but that's not all I want," he added so she barely heard it.

"What do you mean that's not all you want? What else would make you happy?" she asked. He stiffened and snapped his head towards her. From his reaction, she surmised that she wasn't supposed to have heard that last comment.

"What?"

"You said that wasn't all you wanted. What else do you want?"

His face was getting an interesting shade of red. "Um, nothing," he answered too quickly, suddenly finding the opposite wall of the cave very fascinating.

"No, I know you're lying to me. Tell me what it is. Is it embarrassing? Is that it?" Jordan prodded, curiosity just about consuming her.

"It's not really embarrassing," he relented a bit, "but I'd rather not talk about it."

"So it is embarrassing," she exclaimed triumphantly. "I knew it!"

"What about you?" he changed the subject. "What would you want, since you're here on this earth so short a time?"

She deflated. "Something I can't have," she answered sadly. "It's beyond my reach at the moment, and probably for the rest of my life."

"What is it?" Curiosity flared in his eyes.

"I'd rather not talk about it," she primly threw his words back in his face.

"You can tell me," he wheedled.

"Not until you tell me first," she countered.

Shuichi, now Kurama, threw up his hands. "You'd laugh if you heard," he told her.

"Not likely," she answered. "Now what is it?"

"It's not really a wish, just a feeling," he said, moving his head into his arms.

"Okay, that's fine. What is it?" Now Jordan was getting impatient. Here she was, trying to not rush him, and she wasn't getting anywhere.

He mumbled something unintelligible, even with her acute hearing. "Care to repeat that?" she questioned.

"I, um, I…like you." The last part came out in a rush so she almost missed what he said again.

She blinked. "Whoa, whoa, whoa," she stammered, still not sure she heard him correctly. "Did you just say that you…like me? As in, like me, like me?"

Now she couldn't see his face, since it had burrowed itself back into his arms once he had said…that. "I told you I didn't want to talk about it," he said, his voice almost hysterical. On the edge, actually.

Putting an arm around his shoulders, she whispered in his ear, "That's what I wanted, too."

He lifted his head about a centimeter off his arms. "What?" he asked quietly, almost as if he was afraid that he'd misheard her.

"I like you, too," she repeated.

He raised his head and looked at her with his deep green eyes filled with shock and a small amount of disbelief. "Why? What would make someone like you fall for someone like me? You don't seem like the type to go for just looks."

"I've seen how you act around others," she said simply. "You're polite and caring."

"I try to be," Kurama said hesitantly. "There are times when I'm not either, though I try to make those times few and far between."

"That's more than some people I know," she commented. "It's hard finding polite people nowadays. So you basically stand out in a good way."

To her surprise, he embraced her. "You don't know how glad I am that you didn't reject me," he murmured in her ear.

She smiled and embraced him back. "You don't know how glad I am that you admitted that you liked me," she whispered back. "Ever since you ran into me my first day at the shrine, I couldn't help but think about you. I didn't want to get too close because--" she cut herself off. Here she was, pouring her heart out to a guy that just revealed that he liked her. What happened to her wariness? Apparently, it melted.

"Because of what?" he asked.

Jordan sighed, pulling away from him. "My sister and I ran away from Momiji's Orphanage before we went to the Higurashi Shrine," she explained. "I think someone with lots of money was going to buy us, so they're probably looking for us. I'm hoping they've given up now, but I don't think I'll feel safe until I'm eighteen, when they won't have any claims on me anymore."

"They won't find you," he declared confidently. "We'll all help you stay hidden from them."

"That's sweet of you," she said, "but I don't think they'll listen to a sixteen year-old."

Neither of them spoke for a minute, just enjoying each other's company and listening to the rain. Or lack thereof.

"Shouldn't there be a sound?" Jordan asked Kurama.

"What do you mean?" He sounded confused.

"Rain. Shouldn't there be the sound of rain hitting something?" They turned their glanced outward, to the sunny entrance.

"How long has the sun been out?" Kurama asked as they threw things into their packs.

"I don't know," she answered. "I just noticed it."

"Then let's find the demon." Kurama waited for her to finish, then walked out.

"Don't overdo it," she warned him. "I don't want you falling sick again."

He smiled at her. "I won't," he promised. Pausing, his head snapped to the left. "There's a demon nearby." Running the direction his head had been facing, she followed him as best she could. She didn't know what he was looking for, so she had to keep behind him. He knelt down beside a tree stump and spoke in low tones to something she couldn't see. Coming up behind him, she saw he was talking to a tiny lizard demon.

"Does it know what we're looking for?" she asked when he stood up.

He nodded. "Yes. It appears that the demon we're looking for is who I thought he was. And we're either lucky or unlucky."

"Why?"

"The demon is the same one that attacked the human village and destroyed their shield." He turned back to the demon and said a few words. The demon answered him, and Kurama shot up and sped in a different direction.

"What did he say?" Jordan shouted to him.

"He's coming back. I think he's attacking the village even as we speak," he shouted back. "We have to hurry. They'll need us."

_Crystal._ "Wait for me, I'm coming."

&&


	16. Chapter 16

**I didn't quite manage to finish Huck Finn, but I did do more than half of it, so if I finish the rest tomorrow, I'll be good. Here's the next chapter, as promised. Well, I think I promised, so even if I didn't, here it is.**

&&

In the middle of walking down the row of houses, Crystal sneezed. _Where did that come from?_ She shrugged it off and kept going.

"Hey, Sage," she called to the sparring boys. "I need you."

"Coming," he called back as he tried once again to hit Hiei, but failed. Hiei had taken it upon himself to "train" the boys of the village, but not one of them had laid a finger on him. It wasn't for lack of trying, though.

Hiei whacked him on the back of the head, sending him sprawling. "Give up?" he asked in the condescending manner that he normally used except when addressing certain people.

"I give," Sage panted. "I might as well go now, since I'm needed."

Hiei smirked. "I'll be seeing you later, then. Next?" he turned his attention to the next opponent, which happened to be the unfortunate Kento, who never seemed to learn his lesson that brute strength won't get him very far with the small man.

"Yes?" he asked politely as they walked toward the door of their hut.

"We need to get back to work," she reminded him. "The people here aren't fully healed."

"Still?" he asked in disbelief. "It's been what, a week? You'd think they were all past the critical stage."

"They are," she assured him, "but we owe it to them to heal them completely, since we're the ones who hurt them. Or at least, you are."

"I guess," he said slowly. When they were a few steps from the "hospital" door, he turned to her and asked, "You don't freak when I heal these people. Why is that?"

She shrugged. "I can do it, too, so it never bothered me when I saw others do it."

"What!" He looked startled, but she couldn't see why.

"Well, we aren't the only ones who can heal," she explained. "What made you think we were?"

"It's unusual, most people can't do it, and I didn't know you could heal."

Crystal stared at him. "Are you just not an observant person?" she inquired, in shock. "Did you think you were the only one who could heal those people? Why did you think Kagome, Serena, and I are always in there?"

From his deepening blush, she could see it never occurred to him that they were doing anything "out of the ordinary". To give him some credit, he was probably too tired to notice anything he didn't see as normal, and didn't think about the fact that there were far too many people getting better than he could heal. She just laughed, not taking offense, and walked in. They worked on their patients until they were depleted, once again.

"I wonder if Jordan and Shuichi found who they were looking for," she commented casually to Sage as they leaned against the wall.

He looked over at her and smiled. "I'm not sure, but I know they're looking. Neither of them seems like the type to procrastinate on something this important."

"True," she agreed, "though if you hadn't added the 'something this important' part, I would've had to correct you. Jordan tends to procrastinate on school subjects until the night before they're due."

"I know people like that," he said thoughtfully. "I don't understand how some of them can get good grades like that, but they do."

"It must be a gift," she sighed. "One that I don't have."

Sage stood up. "I'm going to get something to eat. Do you want to come?"

"Sure." She took his offered hand and stood beside him. "People who've never healed others don't know real hunger," she groaned.

"I think I know of someone," he contradicted her. At the same time, they said, "Kento."

"I hope they're okay," Crystal murmured, looking out in the direction of the trees.

"They should be," Sage comforted her. "They're both responsible, and Yusuke told us that Shuichi knows what he's looking for, so they should be back soon."

"Makai's a big place, though," she said doubtfully. "He could be anywhere."

"I don't think he could hide from both Shuichi and your sister," the blonde boy assured her. "Let's just eat something, and keep waiting."

Following the kendo artist into the food storage area, she accepted what was given to her and ate in contemplative silence. _If he wasn't in the area, why haven't they come back yet? And if he was, why haven't they come back to tell us? Maybe something's wrong. Or maybe I'm just paranoid. Why do I get the feeling that something bad is about to happen?_ This wasn't the first time she had foreseen the future, so she learned very quickly to pay attention to these feelings. Her sentiments were the same as Sage's, it seemed. He stood up and looked up at the sky.

"Something's coming this way," he commented, setting the food down.

"I feel it, too," Crystal followed his example. "It doesn't feel very friendly."

"Crystal? Sage? Is something wrong?" Robin asked them as she passed.

"Something's coming," Crystal answered her. "I think it's that demon these people keep talking about, but let's make sure before we make assumptions."

The people only backed up their fears. All of them had fearful looks about them, and the air was thick with tension. "Indeed, the demon comes," Yoshiro confirmed, his eyes troubled. "We don't have a sixth sense, but we know he approaches. It's in the air."

"So it looks like we found him instead of Shuichi and Jordan," Serena noted dispassionately. "It would've been better if they hadn't gone off on their own."

"We didn't know that it was the same demon," Ryo argued. "They probably figured that it was way too much of a coincidence."

"Well, if you think about it, this demon is the same one that created the portal we went through, so naturally he would be around here somewhere. Why build a portal near a place that you never go to?" pointed out Hiei like it should've been the most obvious thing in the world. Ryo mumbled something and quieted down. Hiei smirked, knowing he won that round.

Turning to Yoshiro, Serena said, "Get your people into hiding. We can make sure that he doesn't find them."

"What about you?" he protested. "You are only human, no matter how strong you are. He will surely destroy you."

"We can look after ourselves," Sage assured him. "We just don't want any of your people getting caught in the crossfire."

"Nor do I, but at least let some of us help you."

"Fine," Serena relented. "But we won't be taking any children, and anyone fifteen and under is a child. Also, we don't want too many."

"This is our home, child," Yoshiro pointed out to her. "We will defend it while there is still breath in us."

"Your courage speaks well of you, but your warriors don't have the experience to come against him," Sage said.

"We will try anyway," he persisted stubbornly.

"On your head be it, then." Robin and Crystal oversaw the hiding of the inhabitants, while the boys lightly sparred with the remaining warriors. Yoshiro and his son, Taichi, observed how the boys taught the others as they warmed up.

"I hope we can back up what we said about keeping the demon from finding these people," Robin whispered to her companion as they helped hide people.

"So do I," Crystal whispered back. "But let's not think about that. Did you see the way Taichi kept looking at Serena? He's done that ever since we came here."

"I know." Robin giggled. "I think it's kind of cute. He obviously has a crush on her, but it doesn't seem like a lot of people noticed."

"Hiei definitely did. He's been giving him death glares the entire time."

"Hiei!"

"Yup. He's watched the two of them like a hawk."

"Do you think he has a crush on her, too?" At the same time, they shook their heads. "Nah!"

"What are we needed to do, now?" Robin asked Yoshiro when they had finished.

"Just wait," was his distracted reply. "We can only wait for him now."

They joined him and Taichi as they watched both the sparring youths (and ex-youths) and signs for the demon's approach. There was definite improvement in their fighting skills, but even they knew it wouldn't be enough to defeat the demon that had been described. Still, they all looked determined to give their best for their home.

Before their upturned eyes, the sky darkened drastically and lightning flashed, blinding them. Once the spots were gone, outside the gate stood a man. He was tall for a human, with long braided hair. A halberd was loosely held in one hand, and his attire was that of the Thunder demons. While he was lean, his muscles were still well-defined.

"I sense new people here," he said in a tenor voice, tossing his black braid over his shoulder. To their credit, the defenders of the village didn't back down, but they were shaking from head to toe.

"So you're the demon we've been hearing about," Hiei observed, coming out in front of the rest of the warriors. "You're just a Thunder demon. I was expecting someone who had more power, but apparently it doesn't take much to scare a human nowadays."

"Who are you to talk to me so?" he demanded angrily. "All demons in this area know not to interfere with me and my prey."

Hiei only smirked at him. "I'm new in town, and I wasn't informed of that little rule."

"Show respect to your betters, shitappa," he snapped.

"I am no underling of yours," Hiei shot back. "Now I suggest that you leave unless you want your precious hide to get tanned."

Now the demon was the one smirking. "I don't think so," he said. "You happen to be standing between me and my meal, so you will be the one to be in pain." Behind him the silhouettes of many figures showed themselves. "I decided to bring a few friends with me this time," he said, amusement in his demeanor. "The more the merrier, as they say."

That was all the warning they had before they were swamped with the deluge of demons. They were vastly outnumbered, and the demons were in search of a rare treat: fresh human. Hiei went straight for the head demon, leaving the others to fend off the rest of the horde.

Crystal chose to stick close to Serena as they held back the apparitions. One demon got in a lucky shot and hit her hard, causing Serena to yelp in pain before Crystal took care of both her demon and Serena's.

"That bakayaro!" she hissed through the pain.

"Watch your language," Crystal reprimanded her as she checked the wound. It wasn't too bad, but it needed to be healed before it got infected.

"Itai!" Serena screeched when Crystal accidentally brushed her sleeve against the open injury. "Watch where your clothes touch!"

"Keep it down," she ordered the other girl as she prepared to heal her. "I can't heal you and keep us both safe at the same time."

Serena quieted down, still muttering under her breath. Taking deep breaths, Crystal focused on the open gash and imagined it closing. Adjusting her eyes to look at Serena's arm again, she saw that there wasn't even a line to tell where the cut was. "Better?" she asked the Wind-user.

"Much," Serena answered gratefully. "Let's get back to work."

"Try to keep the obscenities to a minimum," Crystal called after her.

"I'll try," was all the answer she got. She sighed.

_Jordan, we need you. Hurry back._

&&


	17. Chapter 17

**I was having trouble with the site yesterday, so I couldn't post. Sorry about that.**

&&

"Any luck?"

"What do you think?" Inuyasha yelled at Michael. "You've asked me that same question every day now, and the answer's always been the same. What makes you think that it would've changed!"

"You don't have to bite his head off, Inuyasha," Miroku reprimanded him. "We're all worried about them. Try to calm down."

"Calm down, he says," Inuyasha muttered to himself. "I'll show him calm down!" Everyone's nerves were shot. Kagome and the others had been missing for three weeks, and Inuyasha was about to lose his mind. He didn't bother leaving this place anymore; he searched for any lead, but it always ended in that one clearing. He'd searched that entire clearing centimeter by centimeter, but no secret passage revealed itself to him. Now their scents were faded, but he continued to haunt that clearing. "Just wait until I get my hands on you, Kagome. First I'll kiss you like there's no tomorrow, but then I'll give you the tongue-lashing of your life!" Muttering similar threats under his breath, he put his nose to the ground, sniffing for any more clues.

&&

Jordan sneezed in the middle of her and Kurama's flight back to the town. _We're never going to make it at this rate._ "Kurama," she called, "we aren't fast enough."

"I can go faster, but I'd leave you behind," he shouted back.

"Try me."

His form seemed to blur. When it came back into focus, his hair was silvery and much longer. His ears were on top of his head, like Inuyasha's were said to have been. For clothes, he was wearing what looked almost like a Roman toga, except it went over both shoulders, not just one. His tail streamlined behind him like a banner.

Then it was Jordan's turn. Her ears went up like his, and while her tail didn't flow, it helped her keep her balance as she went faster. That was it, aside from her now pointed teeth and claws, and her narrowed pupils. And, of course, her fur, which changed her hair color. They raced, her still following. He never looked back, but he knew she was there. The more they ran, the more she began to recognize her surrounding, even though they swept by like she was on a locomotive. They weren't too far from the village after all.

As they approached, there were already telltale signs of fighting going on. Black smoke rose above it like a bad omen, and screams could be heard over the roar of the flames, and the clash of metal screeching against metal. Their pace quickened once again, now desperate to reach the town in time to stop some of the massacre of the humans. When they reached the gate, a gory sight met their eyes. Many humans and demons alike were strewn across the walkways, both living and dead.

"This is horrible," murmured Jordan, her mind numb with the number of casualties for both sides.

"War always is," Kurama said, still striding forward towards the ones who were still fighting. Sickened at the sight but not having the proper amount of time to dwell on it, Jordan followed. Kurama went right into the thickest part of the fighting, using his plants to help him against the attacking demons. Jordan had her claws, teeth, and the ability to read minds. It only showed up when she was fighting someone, which was a bit of a bummer, but she could tell what her opponent was thinking at least.

While she was fighting, she lost track of the fox demon she had traveled with, and was now on her own. At least, that was what she thought until one of the demons she was sparring with burst into flames. The others followed suit one right after another. Whirling, she faced a stern-faced Robin.

"Those were MY prey," she snapped at the girl.

"I am aware of that, but they were my enemies just as much," Robin responded coolly. "Now leave this place before one of the villagers mistakes you for one of the demons with our main foe."

That was when it clicked in Jordan's mind. "Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Jordan Lee." Just as she thought, Robin looked stunned.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't know you could turn yourself into a demon."

This caused the tigress to laugh. "I can't. I'm not actually a demon. More like a weretiger."

"I see. I need to get back to burning demons now. Care to join me?"

"I don't see why I couldn't. Just, um, keep the other people away from me, or I'm toast."

"Sure." The two women walked quickly away from the ashes of what used to be Jordan's prey, and rejoined the fighting. "By the way, where's my sister?" Jordan asked Robin as they once again incinerated their foes.

"She's with the other healers. There are so few of them that we don't let them fight anymore. They're job is to heal the injured that they come across." Robin fried the last demon of that particular group and they moved on. Rounding a corner, they suddenly came across Hiei and Kurama, both fighting the head demon.

Jordan felt her body freeze at the sight of him. _I know him! He was at the orphanage with Momiji. He's the one that would put us in that pain._ Her body trembled, but she didn't even care. Her brain was stuck on the fact that this was the person that every child in the orphanage feared, though they could never describe him. It was as if something kept their tongues from uttering one word about him. _This doesn't look good._

&&

Robin registered that Jordan had stopped short and was staring at the demon with a look foreign to her. She knew what it was, but it wasn't one that you'd associate with Jordan. Terror. Her eyes were wide, and looked like she was about to bolt, except that her whole body shaking from a deep fear.

_There's something about this demon that is terrifying her. Now what is it? I know he's powerful, but she doesn't scare that easy._ "Jordan, what's wrong?" she asked the shaking girl.

She only shook her head. Either she was too terrified to say, she couldn't say, or there was a fly in front of her face that she was trying to get rid of. Her body started shaking even harder, and it looked like she would collapse any moment.

"Jordan, stay with me," she commanded, spinning the other girl around to face her. "We can't afford to lose you. We'll go around them." However, it seemed that Jordan had other ideas. Her feet remained rooted to the spot, like she would stay there for the rest of her life. Robin tried jerking her backwards to get her moving, but her feet still wouldn't move. "Come on," she pleaded with the silent tigress, growing desperate. "We can't stay here. We'll get creamed if we stay here."

As their luck would have it, the demon noticed them. "So, if it isn't the little tiger from the orphanage," he sneered, bringing Hiei and his partner's attention to them.

"How do you know that she's one of yours?" Hiei demanded.

He laughed. "I mark them. It's plainly visible on her face. She couldn't move if she wanted to. Only if I say she can." He looked directly at them and commanded, "Come, Jordan." To everyone's surprise, except the demon's, she obediently stepped forward. "You see," he said, his voice having a boasting quality about it, "she is mine."

"Did you know that was Jordan, fox?" a stunned Hiei asked his equally stunned partner.

"No," his partner answered, sounding almost exactly like Shuichi. "What do you want from her?" he demanded.

"Why would you want to know, Yoko?" the demon asked. "I know that while you don't go out of your way to harass humans, you have no love for them, either. Why would you care what I did to a human girl?"

"That is not a human girl," the one called Yoko pointed out. "Humans can't turn themselves into something else."

"She and her sister can, so that means some humans can. You can be so close-minded at times, Yoko," the demon sneered. "So unwilling to change your ways."

"Then I think it's time I change that," Yoko said softly. "I think I'll take an interest in humans now. That human in particular." He nodded his head at the still shaking Jordan.

The demon looked at Yoko. Hard. After a moment, he smiled, but it wasn't one that boded well for them. "I do believe that Yoko has finally been hooked," he murmured softly. "I never would've thought it possible. And by a human girl, no less." His malicious smile widened. "Now it seems that I have an extra bargaining token. What is this girl worth to you?" he asked the unmoving, silver kitsune.

"For you, it means that you'll keep your life if she remains unharmed."

"Do you really think that means anything to me? If I ask her to, she will cut her own throat rather than anger me. All the children learned to obey as soon as an order was given." His voice went lower. "If they disobeyed, they only did it once. They are more afraid of what I will do to them than anything else, and it has been drilled into them since the day they showed up at my doorstep."

Robin was trying to get Jordan to wake up from the stupor that had surrounded her brain since she saw that demon. "Come back to us, Jordan. We need to leave, so Hiei and Yoko can destroy this demon. We aren't safe here." But her tugging and pleas didn't move Jordan so much as an inch. _I need backup. I can't do this alone. Somebody, please, help me!_

&&


	18. Chapter 18

**It's the weekend! Here's the next chapter!**

&&

_I need backup. I can't do this alone. Somebody, please, help me!_ Yusuke almost fell over from the power of that thought as he was fighting a demon. It managed to get in a couple of lucky shots, so now his left arm was just about useless, and that shout didn't help things, since it made him expose his back, and the demon slashed it pretty hard. One more punch, though, and it was down for the count.

_Since when is Robin a thought-sender?_ Yusuke shook his head. _Ever since we came here, I've been hearing strange things. I must be going mad, but they make sense. I guess I should go see if Robin needs help anyway, just in case._ Limping towards the "sound" of Robin's sending, he arrived to a strange sight: Hiei and Kurama were looking at Jordan and the head demon, while Robin was trying to get Jordan to…do something. Jordan just stood there like a bump on a log.

"Mind if I crash this party?" he drawled as he stepped into their line of sight.

"Please do, Spirit Detective," the demon mock-welcomed him. "We can always do with more people."

"Mind explaining what exactly is going on?" he asked, nodding at Jordan.

"There is some connection between him and Jordan," Hiei answered him. "He claims that he has control over her. From the way she isn't reacting, his claim may have some validity in it."

"Let's not take that chance. Why haven't you two wasted this guy yet?" the Detective demanded. "These people are dying, and the sooner he's" he pointed to the demon "gone, the sooner the hurt ones can be tended."

"Foolish boy," hissed the demon. "They can't hurt me. They've been trying and have yet to even touch me."

"We've come close, though," observed Yoko Kurama coolly. "And you have yet to seriously injure either of us."

"It doesn't matter," he said indifferently. "I will win. The humans you so want to protect are only food, and there will be very little left when we are done, if any will remain. Like I said, it doesn't matter."

"There's where you're wrong," Hiei said. "We might not be able to save every human here, but we can save a good many of them."

"You surprise me," the demon said. "A demon doesn't care about humans, and here I've met two who do. You've been around humans too long, and went soft."

"Actually, I'm stronger than I ever was when I was in Makai," Hiei corrected him.

"As am I," Yoko affirmed as he and Hiei got into fighting stances again. The demon shook a finger at them.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," he said in a singsong tone, pointing at Jordan. "One word from me, and she'll kill herself." This effectively stopped the two demons from attacking him.

Robin was still trying to drag Jordan away from that place, but wasn't having any luck, so Yusuke decided that he'd help her; she did call him, after all.

"Why won't she move?" he asked the struggling blonde.

"I don't know," she wailed. "We were going to help the others, but when she saw that demon she stopped dead in her tracks, and hasn't moved since."

Jordan's thoughts were bombarding him with no trace of rationality in them. All were full of fear for this demon, and there was little else except to do as he says and be spared that pain again.

"Here's what we'll try to do, then," he said, running a hand through hair made damp by sweat and blood. "You try to tip her backwards, and I'll get her legs. I think we can carry her away from this place if her feet aren't on the ground. Care to try my theory while the others are busy and not paying attention to us?"

Robin gave him a weak smile. "Sure. We have nothing to lose at this point." Hooking her arms through Jordan's, she pulled back while Yusuke pulled her ankles up. To both of their surprise, it worked. She was stiff as a board, but she was up and moveable. "Let's go. Like you said, the sooner she's gone from his line of sight, the better."

They crab-walked her back the way they originally came, and set her down on the side of a building, where she promptly collapsed, shivering. She drew her knees up to her chest and stared at the ground, mumbling incoherently to herself.

"Jordan?" Robin called to her softly.

She lifted her head, her eyes filled with tears. "I-I didn't think I'd ever have to see him again," she stammered. "I thought he didn't have a hold on me anymore." Her eyes squeezed shut. "Why is he here?"

Since they were obviously not going to get anything useful out of her, Yusuke left Robin to give her what comfort she could, while he went to help his comrades. They were still in the exact same spots that he left them. Strolling back, he decided it was time to kick things up and finish the demon.

"Hey, slowpokes, can we get a move-on here?" he asked in a bored tone. This earned him glares from his companions and an annoyed glance from the demon.

"Are you in such a rush for her to die?" the demon asked slowly.

Yusuke shrugged. "If she tries to kill herself, then I'm sure someone will be along to bury her. But that's not my problem. Right now I'm just focused on giving you the beating of your life."

The demon stared at him. "I didn't expect you to turn your back on your own people."

Yusuke just smirked at him. "Well, that's one bargaining chip you can't use. And, come to think of it, what else did you plan on using against me? I'm not like these demons. Humans never cared for me, so I never learned to love humans. Kind of sucks for you, since that was your main bargaining chip." _Oh, he's definitely worried now. I can actually see his sweat._ "Shall we get started, then?"

Without warning, the demon slammed into the ground where Yusuke once stood. Somehow, Yusuke knew what he was going to do, though, and managed to get away even with a bad leg.

"You're fast, Detective, but you are injured, and not quite fast enough." The demon took a swipe at him, and he wouldn't have been able to dodge it except Hiei grabbed his arm and yanked him away. Still, he was only centimeters from his sharp claws.

"Thanks, Hiei," he thanked the little fire Koorime.

"Hn. Don't expect me to save you every time," Hiei said, as usual.

"You were lucky that time, Detective," the demon said. "I'm sure that it won't happen again. You want to get started? Fine. Let's get started."

&&


	19. Chapter 19

**Quick update before the computer is taken away from me.**

&&

Kagome ran from injured person to the next, never stopping to rest herself. _I have to keep going. If I don't, then someone who might have been able to live could die. Can't stop, must keep going._ With the help of the Shikon no Tama, she was able to heal them without ever needing to rest to recover her strength. It would wear out, eventually, and she would pay the price later, but for now, her main concern was to save the villagers.

A shadow covered her current patient. Without even turning around, she knew it was a demon by its aura. Pointing her hand back over her shoulder, she incinerated it with her miko energy. Now that the immediate threat was gone, she returned to fixing her patient and moving on to the next one.

"Kagome." _Hm? Who's calling me? I can't remember that voice. They'll have to wait until I'm done._

"Kagome." The voice was more insistent now. Her eyes went flat. _Why won't they leave me alone? I need to finish._ Now hands were pulling on her, urging her up. She fought them, but more hands pulled her. When she twisted around to see who was interrupting her work, she came face-to-face with Cye and Kento. They were wearing some kind of armor, except Cye's was light blue, and Kento's was orange, rather than the dark armor of the villagers.

"What do you want?" she demanded. "These people need me."

"You're working yourself to exhaustion," Cye said bluntly. "There isn't anyone left here that is in critical condition. Rest." Kento took her by the arms and forcibly led her over to one of the walls, where she sank down.

"Where's everybody else?" she questioned them. "I haven't seen anyone but you two in a while."

"They're fighting the demons," Kento answered. "We saw you by chance, so we decided to stop by. You haven't had a rest since we started, have you?" At her surprised look, he grinned. "Sage is like that. He'll work and forget to rest, so we have to remind him. And we figured that you'd like the company."

She grinned back at him. "Thanks, guys. I haven't rested since this whole thing's started, but I─" she cut herself off. These people didn't know about the Shikon Jewel, after all. "I just didn't notice," she finished. "Are you guys tired, too? Is that why you're taking a break?"

"We were ordered to by Ryo," Cye said cheerfully. "So we thought we'd bring in another person to rest with us."

"I see." Obediently she sat, the two boys on either side of her. "Are there still many demons around?"

Cye frowned. "Too many. If Ryo hadn't made us leave, we'd be out there fighting still, but he doesn't want us to wear ourselves out."

"I could still go," Kento said. "But then Cye wouldn't have anyone making sure he rested."

Kagome was about to say something when Kento shot up. "Something's coming," he said, bringing his nunchucks up.

A giant flying crow flew at him from above, but he couldn't see it; both Cye and Kagome could. "Kento, look out!" she shrieked, but it was closing too fast. He couldn't block it in time. He didn't have to.

"Kento!" cried Cye, lifting his yari up and pointing it right at the crow. At first Kagome thought he was going to throw it at the demon, but a bright light was forming at its tip and shot a beam out at the demon. The crow disappeared before it hit his friend.

"How did you do that?" Kagome asked, very surprised.

"I know how to work my weapon," Cye said.

"What was it?"

This time Kento answered her. "Just water. Cye's a Water-user."

"I see." _Not really. They're not witches, but they can control the elements?_

"Kagome, move!"

She immediately threw herself to the right. The demon about to attack her slammed into the ground where she had been sitting just seconds before. Cye grabbed her arm and yanked her away. "Kento, get rid of it," he yelled.

"Got it!" Kento slammed his nunchucks into the ground, confusing Kagome. _How is destroying his weapon going to make things better?_ What confused her even more was when the ground broke, and the crack snaked its way under the demon's feet. Unable to take the weight, the ground crumbled under the demon, causing him to fall and be buried under the dirt.

"Let me guess. Kento's an Earth-user," Kagome said to Cye.

"That would be correct. Now that we've ignored Ryo's orders, let's just get back to work."

At that moment, a distressed aura flared up, causing Kagome to leap to her feet and run in that direction. Ignoring their cries to wait up, she ran through the walkways to the aura. She wasn't the first one to reach it. Crystal was kneeling in front of Jordan, whose aura was spiking crazily. Kagome walked to Robin, who was watching the two sisters worriedly.

"What happened?" she asked quietly, not taking her eyes off the twins.

"Apparently, the demon works for their orphanage, and somehow has complete control over the children there. Jordan was terrified at the sight of him, and it took both me and Yusuke to move her by lifting her off the ground and carrying her here. I can't get any sense out of her, so I hope Crystal can."

"It looks like your hope is succeeding." Indeed, Jordan was calming down under the care of her sister. "Jordan?" she ventured, stepping closer to them.

She looked up and said, "Don't go near him. It isn't safe for humans to be near him. He-he does something to them." She buried herself in her sister's arms again, close to whimpering. Crystal made soothing sounds, brushing her hair with her hands and rocking her, and also reducing her fear with her Craft.

"Why aren't you affected like her?" Kagome asked Crystal.

"I didn't see him, and he didn't see me," she explained. "I'd probably be just as bad if I'd seen him. As long as we're not able to see one another, his power lessens. It's kind of hard to believe that, though, once you've seen him. He leaves an imprint on people."

"I see. So it would be best if we never get close enough to see him clearly, is that what I'm hearing?"

"Yes, I think that would be best."

By this time, the two boys caught up with her, and once they saw Jordan in a heap on the ground, the whole thing had to be explained again.

"I think that it only works with humans that he's worked with, though," Jordan said once she was calm enough to talk coherently. "It didn't affect Yusuke at all."

"That does seem to be the way things work," Crystal agreed.

"So it's only you two that can't see him, or have him see you," said Cye thoughtfully. "Well, if that's the case, then as long as the demon stays where he is, you can fight the other demons with the rest of us, and Crystal can heal the hurt ones there."

"Sounds like a good idea to me," volunteered Jordan, already more steady. Crystal nodded her approval.

"Then, if that's settled, shall we get going?" They all picked themselves up and skirted the area of the fighting demons plus Yusuke. They could still hear shouts of the fighters, at which both Jordan and Crystal flinched, but they weren't rendered immobile.

Upon reaching the rest of the fighting, they bid adieu to the twins, Cye, and Kento, who decided to stay and help them, and sped back to fighting demons. Just in time, it seemed, as the demon was still standing, while the others, while standing, were in very bad shape.

"You can't beat me," the demon boasted. "There was a time that you might have been able to, but since you chose to protect humans, it weakened you."

"Just keep telling yourself that," Hiei retorted.

The demon's aura flared, signaling to Kagome that he was going to charge. "Robin, he's going to charge them. Do you think you can distract him?"

Robin smiled. "Sure." She glared at the demon, and it burst into flames. His screams of surprise and pain caused them to fall to the ground, holding their ears and writhing in pain. "It's so loud," the Fire-user whimpered.

"Make it stop," Kagome pleaded aloud to nobody. The sound seemed to try to squeeze her brains into mush.

Then, it did stop. The demon was still panting, and his body had scorch marks on it, but he wasn't screaming in that awful voice. "Who did that?" he demanded. For some reason, he whirled and faced the two girls on the ground. "Which one of you did this?"

Neither of them answered. He hissed his rage and lunged toward them and would've make short work of them, except Hiei intervened by slamming into his side.

"Foolish little man," the demon snarled. "Haven't you had enough pain?"

"Apparently not," he shot back. "Care to try that again?"

The demon once again sped forward like he was shot from a slingshot, but Hiei dodged him. He did sustain a hit to the arm, though, when the demon raked his claws at him, catching his arm. Then Yoko stepped in by sending his plants at the demon before he could reach the ground and avoid them.

"Did you get him?" Hiei asked the fox demon.

"I think so," Yoko replied, though he didn't sound very sure.

Malicious laughter was heard from the inside of the plants. "Did you think that I could be stopped by just some vegetation? I feel insulted." The plants were torn apart, leaving a grinning demon. "I thought you knew me better than that, Yoko."

"It did was it was supposed to do," Yoko calmly informed him.

"Oh? And what was that?"

"It bound you to the ground."

He looked down, and there were vines that were keeping him from leaving the dirt. "Did you really think that this could hold me?" he asked incredulously, yanking at them. Unfortunately for him, they didn't break or come out of the ground. "Impossible!" he gasped. "What kind of trickery is this, Yoko?"

"No trickery," Yoko stated. "It's just the nature of the vines. They prey on flying creatures, so they are made to hold down their captives until they starve to death. Now you are unable to move."

"Kuso," the demon swore. "You won't be able to hold me like this forever."

"It will be long enough," Hiei retorted, drawing his katana.

"Don't go near him," Yoko warned the small man. "If you get too close, the vines will trap you as well."

"Then it seems that we're at a stalemate," the demon stated. "I can't move, and you can't come near me. Isn't that a pity?"

"Not really. All I have to do is use my Dragon of the Darkness Flame on you, and you'll be history," Hiei corrected him.

"Please, spare me," he said mockingly. "No one can completely control a Dragon, and even if you brought it here, it would destroy most of the village anyway, which is exactly what I planned on doing myself."

"He's right, Hiei," Yoko said. "Don't do it."

"Let's just get him with the old Spirit Gun, then," Yusuke joined in. Pointing his right index finger at him, a ball of energy formed at the tip. He released it at the demon and hit him dead on. "Yeah, got him."

When the dust from the explosion cleared, all that had happened was that Yusuke's Spirit Gun had shattered the plants holding the demon down. Now everyone was gaping at the poor Spirit Detective.

"Nice work, Detective," Hiei said sarcastically. "You just freed him."

"That's impossible," Yoko said, sounding surprised. "Those plants were virtually indestructible. Not even I could do that."

The demon was laughing. "Thanks, Detective," he said. "I owe you one."

"Okay, Mr. Wiseguy, that was a mistake that won't be happening again," Yusuke snapped.

By this time, Kagome and Robin were watching the exchange with growing unease. "I think you should use your miko energy," Robin whispered to her.

"Okay." Summoning her miko power, she formed the now familiar bow, notched the arrow, and let it loose. Due to the fact that she hadn't rested since the fighting began, her aim was off, and she only got one of his arms partially purified.

That brought his attention back to them. "You will pay, wench," he shrieked. Even with the missing arm, he was fast, and no one was able to reach him in time to save the girls. Except one, that is. Right before he sliced them in two, he froze before them, his face one of shock. "What is this?" he snarled. "Why can't I move?"

"Because I won't let you," a female voice rang out. The all spun around to face Serena, holding a glowing crystal in her hands. "The Ginzuishou binds you in place." Her face was streaked with dirt and sweat, and her body was shaking from exhaustion, but her voice was steady.

He smirked. "It doesn't matter. You can't get close to me."

"We'll see about that," Hiei stated, rushing forward, his katana raised. When he got five feet from the demon, though, he was forced backwards by an invisible force. "What is this?" he snarled.

"My field repels demons like you."

"What about me?" Yusuke and Kurama charged forward, but they, too, were pushed back. "What the heck? Why was I pushed back?" demanded Yusuke.

"You aren't fully human, and so you are affected by my barrier." The demon grinned. "The girl shouldn't waste her energy holding me in place. None of you can come near me, so it doesn't matter that I am frozen. Eventually she will lose strength, and I will decimate this village for defying me."

"Think again," a new voice said. Ryo stood on the other side of their circle of destruction, his red armor making him stand out.

"And you think you can defeat me, when these people here have failed?" the demon asked incredulously. "I can sense that you aren't nearly as strong as these demons and non-humans."

"It doesn't matter," Ryo said. "I can still get near you, and with you frozen, you can't block me." He charged him.

"I think not." The demon's arm swiped at him, knocking him away. "The girl's strength is giving out, and the force binding me here is fading." To prove his point, his other arm started vibrating, like he was fighting against Serena and winning.

"Hold him!" Ryo shouted at her. She nodded and focused on her Silver Crystal. He turned his attention back to his opponent. "Let's see if you can block this." He put the hilts of his two katanas together, and they glowed red. Everyone could feel heat radiating off them. Fire shot from them toward the demon.

"Fire? You can't harm me with a child's trick like that," the demon sneered, dispelling it with his free hand.

"But I can with these," Ryo retorted, appearing where the fire had just disappeared, sinking his katanas into the demon before he could retaliate.

"H-how coulda mortal? I was defeated by a mortal." Shock was written all over him as he disintegrated. Things were quiet until someone broke the silence.

"Why didn't you do that sooner?" Yusuke demanded. "We could've gotten this over with a whole lot quicker."

"I wasn't here," Ryo said. "I was fighting the other demons on the other side of this place. Besides, I thought you guys had it covered."

"It doesn't matter," Robin said, being the peacemaker. She was about to say something else when she saw Serena sway where she stood. "Serena, what's wrong?"

"It takes a lot of energy to use the crystal," she said softly, collapsing. Hiei ran to her side and picked her up.

"You take care of the rest of the demons," he ordered firmly. "I'll take her where she can rest."

"You heard the man," Yusuke said. "Let's get cracking."

Kagome partnered up with Yusuke and the two of them went in search of more demons. "I wish he could've been defeated a lot sooner," she said to Yusuke.

"I'm just glad he's gone," Yusuke said. " I did some major lying back there, and every time a human came near us, I was in trouble of being found out."

"What did you do?" she asked curiously as the found the demons they were looking for.

"I just said that humans meant nothing to me, and that I didn't care if he made Jordan kill herself."

"Yusuke! That's a horrible thing to say," she reprimanded him as they took on the demons.

"I know, but it threw him off-balance. I've found that most people are not at their best when they find out that they've underestimated their enemy. So I made him believe that I didn't care what happened to humans, and made him wonder what else he found out wrong about me. If he was really focusing on beating us, we would've been down for the count a long time ago."

_I didn't think he was this smart. I guess appearances can be deceiving._ "Good thinking," she complimented him.

"I guess appearances can be deceiving," he said in reply.

She looked sharply at him while purifying the demons near her. _Can he hear what I'm thinking? No, he can't. Just focus on defeating these demons before they can kill more villagers._

&&


	20. Chapter 20

**Read the note at the end of the chapter, please.**

&&

_Where am I? Why am I here?_ Serena was floating in a sea of darkness, but she wasn't blind. _I used the Ginzuishou, but what happened after that? I can't remember._

Warm hands were lifting her up. _Who is that?_ she wondered in annoyance. _Why won't they let me sleep? Don't they know that I have to rest after I use the Silver Crystal? Just leave me alone!_ The hands either weren't good mind-readers, or they were just ignoring her. They were now trying to get her to drink something, but that would mean she would have to wake up. Thoroughly annoyed now, she opened her blue eyes and stared right into Hiei's red ones.

"It's about time you woke up," he said, which surprised her. _What is he doing here? I think something hit him on the head when he was fighting._

"Is there a reason you wanted me to wake up?" she asked.

"You need to eat." He indicated the cup he was holding and the tray precariously balanced on his lap.

"I need sleep more," she snapped crossly.

He laughed. It was a surprise since he normally was a serious person and rarely laughed, but it sounded good when he did. "You've been asleep for a week," he informed her.

"Nani!" she shrieked. "I have not! You're pulling my leg."

He looked at her strangely. "I'm not even touching your leg, but you have been asleep for a week."

"'Pulling my leg' is just an expression," she explained. "Are you sure that I've been out for that long?"

"Quite," he said firmly. "Now eat." He stuck the cup in front of her face, and she obediently opened her mouth.

"Are all the demons gone?" she asked when she finished what Hiei gave her.

"All the live ones. The dead ones' bones were burned with the dead ningens." At her inquiring glance, he gave a bit of detail. "Pestilence is not something these people need."

"It's not something anyone needs."

"True." They sat in companionable silence while they could. Then, inevitably, it was broken.

"Hiei, is she awake yet?" Yusuke's voice floated in through the door.

He sighed. "Yes, Detective," he answered in a resigned voice.

The door was pushed back and in stepped the official Reikai Tantei. "So, how're ya feeling?" he asked her.

"Terrible," she said truthfully. "Hiei woke me up before I was ready."

"Don't even think about it," Hiei warned Yusuke without looking at him.

The Spirit Detective put down the hand that was about to slap the side of the fire demon's head and shook his own. "Well, you did sleep for a week. Isn't that enough?"

She sighed. "It doesn't feel like it's enough, but it is, I guess," she admitted. "Are we leaving now?"

"Yup. We were just waiting for you," Yusuke said.

_Okay, now we get to go home. Why does that not make me feel happy? Something's not right._ A lightbulb went off in her head. _The people here! Are they coming, too? They don't have any protection anymore, and most of their warriors are unable to move, much less fight. We can't abandon them. I can't._

Vaguely aware that she was being led to a different place, she continued her thoughts. _I don't think I'll be leaving with them. These people need me too much. I'll miss home, but my feelings tell me that I'm doing the right thing._

"Finally! We were beginning to wonder if you'd gotten lost," Kuwabara stated when they walked into the main building.

"You wish," Yusuke retorted. "Let's just go. I'm sure Koenma wants to know what we've been up to."

"Wait," Serena called. Once she got their attention, she continued. "What will happen to these people?"

Yoshiro answered her. "We will survive the best we can. We have suffered a much lesser loss than the previous years, and we have you to thank for it."

"But your warriors can't fight. What will happen if another demon comes calling?"

"Then we will deal with it the best we can," he stated.

She stiffened her resolve, silently saying good-bye to her family and everything she knew. "I'm not going with you," she announced. "I will stay here and help these people."

As she thought, they didn't move, they were so shocked. Then, they all tried to change her mind at once, so no one could be understood. They all had the same question, though: "Why?"

"I have nothing back home, and while you guys are great, I feel like I can do more here than I ever could at home. I can protect these people with the Ginzuishou. I'm staying," she finished firmly.

"Okay, fine, anyone else want to stay?" Yusuke asked sarcastically.

"We do." Now everyone faced Jordan and Crystal.

"Now that we have a mutiny going on, why do you two want to stay?" the Reikai detective demanded.

"Serena will need us here," Crystal told him. "We can help her."

"Besides, with the orphanage looking for us, I think it'll be better for us to stay out of the way where they can't ever find us," Jordan put in.

"And what about Michael?" Robin demanded. "How do you think he'll feel with his sisters just disappearing all of a sudden? He just found you!"

"Exactly. He hasn't had time to get used to the fact that he has sisters again," Jordan said softly. "If he wants to see us, then we'll find a way to visit, but it's much better to have it this way."

"Are you sure?" Shuichi, now known as Kurama to everyone there, asked.

She swallowed and nodded.

"Then there isn't much we can do," Hiei said flatly. "It's their decision to stay, so let them stay. We have to get back." With that, he turned his face to the door.

_Hiei._ Serena knew she hurt him, but her sense of duty was always calling her. These were her people now, and she wouldn't abandon them. She was raised as the Moon Princess, and would've been their queen in time, but that was taken from her. Now she could start over. And she wouldn't be alone; that cheered her up tremendously. She had friends to help her through.

"Are you sure that's what you want to do?" Yoshiro asked them. "We wouldn't want to keep you from your home."

She shook her head. "No, I will stay here. I can do more good here than at home." The other two nodded. "Will you let us stay?"

Yoshiro nodded, smiling broadly. "Welcome to our home," he said, gratitude showing in his voice.

"I know that everyone's anxious to get home, but these people don't have homes or good water," Cye said hesitantly. "Don't you think we should help with that before we leave?"

"It's not necessary," Yoshiro protested, but the others were already agreeing with the shy British boy. Finally, he gave up. "Very well, we shall accept your assistance."

They were assigned sections to do, like Cye would handle the fresh water, and Kento would rebuild the huts. Serena was with Cye. The two of them went to where a deep pit was made during the fighting.

"Just leave everything to me," he said cheerfully, calling his armor to him. Pointing his yari into the pit, water appeared in front of the point and began filling it. Serena could only gape at him.

"How did you do that?" she asked, not quite grasping what was going on right in front of her face.

He laughed. "My element's water," he explained. "I can summon water, like Robin and Ryo can summon fire. We all have an element we control."

"Oh." Her expression cleared. "That I can understand. What exactly am I supposed to do, then?"

"Can you create a field around it to keep it pure?"

"Sure." _He didn't say it didn't have to be of wind._ Focusing on her core, she found what she was looking for and formed the shield.

"Did you do it?" he asked.

"Yup. It keeps germs and bacteria out, but it allows people to come and use the water," she said proudly.

"Let's go see how Kento's doing with Sage and Jordan," he suggested.

They walked back to the town and saw Kento hauling columns over to places in danger of dropping their roofs. "Need any help?" he called to Jordan, who was closest.

She looked up and grinned. "Sure. The more, the merrier, and the less work I have to do."

"Good logic," Serena said. "I can't lift one of those things by myself, so do you mind if I just help you?"

"Like I said, the less work I have to do. Feel free." Serena lifted up one end while Jordan got the other. This was how the rest of the group found them.

&&

_This is what I felt. When I got that feeling that we weren't going back, this is what it meant._ Crystal labored beside Ryo, dragging fallen trees back to the town where Kento, Sage, and Jordan would put them up as supports for some of the huts. It was hard work, and they were all hot and sweaty, but still they kept bringing in the supports.

"You okay?" her partner in gathering wood inquired.

"Yeah," she smiled for his benefit, even though she felt hot and wanted nothing more than to sit in the shade. "I just wish Cye hadn't said anything quite so soon. I would've had to do this anyway, but at least there would've been a rest in between."

"Hey, we're the ones that made a lot of this mess, so it's only right that we clean it up."

"Well, I'm sure that I'll be glad I did it now instead of later, but at the moment, I prefer to feel sorry for myself."

"Don't we all," he laughed. "But the sooner we finish, the sooner we can rest." His voice turned serious. "Are you absolutely sure that you want to stay here?"

"I'm getting tired of people asking me that question. Yes, Ryo, I'm staying. The other two might change their minds, but I won't."

He lowered his head. "I'm sorry to hear that. Don't get me wrong, I think what you're doing for these people is great, but you heard the others. We can't get back to this place once we leave, and you can't go home once we're gone." The anguish in his voice was plain.

"Ryo, we'll be fine," she assured him. "You don't have to worry about us."

"I can't help it," he muttered. "It's not something I have control over."

They dropped off their load and went to get more. The sounds of wildlife were comforting, signaling that all was well around them. Here, they could forget that there was even any fighting. At least, for a little while.

&&

"Jordan?"

She turned at the sound of her name. "Yes, Kurama?" she asked. "Please don't ask me if I'm sure I want to do this. I've already been asked far too many times, and it's beginning to drive me insane."

"Then I won't ask you, but I still want your answer."

"Yes, I'm staying, and no, I'm not changing my mind. I'm sorry."

He sighed heavily. "I was afraid that you'd say that. I won't be able to see you except for a few rare occasions. You do realize that, don't you?"

"I didn't think this relationship would last past our leaving this place, though it still is a shame. I know it won't work anymore, but it was good while it lasted. Thank you for that much, at least."

"I would've been willing to spend my life with you," he confessed. "I still would, if that's what you want."

Jordan shook her head. "I can't ask that of you. You hate this place with a passion, and you'd have to leave your mother. She means more than life to you, and I won't take you away from her."

He still seemed upset, but there wasn't a whole lot she could do about that. Just as he wouldn't abandon his mother, she wouldn't abandon her sister, and Crystal was all for staying here in this place.

"Good luck surviving in this place," Kurama said.

"It won't be that bad. I mean, I don't hate this place like you do. It has its own appeal. Besides, I'll never be bored, this being the land of the man-eating demons," she joked.

"Just be careful," he cautioned. "I know this place better than you do, so I know what I'm talking about. Even the plants here are dangerous, as you saw."

"Yes, I did," she replied dryly. "Let's just head back so you can get home to Mrs. Minamino."

&&

Serena cautiously approached Hiei, who was sitting down, his back against the wall. He had a don't-mess-with-me-if-you-want-to-live look, and so far, it worked.

"Hiei?"

He looked up. "Is there something you needed?" he asked stiffly.

"I didn't mean to hurt you," she murmured. "I never did want to hurt you. But these people…they need me. I can keep demons away from here."

"It's your life to ruin," he pointed out. "It doesn't matter to me what you do with it."

"Don't kid yourself. I know you do care. I know that all too well."

"Hn. That's what you think." Hiei closed his eyes, but they flew open right after, since Serena had put her arms around his shoulders. "Wh-what are you doing?" he asked nervously.

"I'm sorry. I do love you, but my sense of responsibility overrides all else. Like I said, these people need me, and I can do more for them than I ever could back home."

Hiei looked thunderstruck. "Was it that obvious?"

"Well, you did treat me differently than you did everyone else," she pointed out. "I will miss you, Hiei. Are you sure you won't come back?"

"As much as I care about you, if I come back to this place when I don't have to, I will go mad," he said flatly.

Serena lowered her head. "I'm sorry to hear that. Then I guess this means that we won't be seeing each other for a long time."

"I guess so. Stay safe, and be happy with Taichi," Hiei said quietly.

"Taichi?"

He nodded. "He's had his eye on you for some time. I'll just have to admit defeat this time, and let him be with you."

"You do have a kind heart, Hiei," she said. "Most boys would either kill the rival, kill the girl, or kill both. And yet here you are, allowing us both to live, and with each other. You are a complicated person, you know? You let others think you're a cold-hearted killer, and then you do something like this."

"So people tell me," he said. "But there isn't a lot I can do about it, so I might as well let go without making too much of a racket."

She smiled. "I'm glad you think like that."

Hesitantly he smiled back at her. "You will be missed."

She knew what he meant. "I'll miss you, too. I think it's time for you to go home now, though." They stood and walked to the entrance gate of the town, where a crowd already was gathering.

&&

"It's time we left this place," Kurama said, standing close to Jordan. Turning to Yoshiro, he shook hands with him. "It's been a pleasure meeting you and your people, but we really must be getting back home."

Yoshiro grinned. "I understand. We thank you for what you've done to our village, and what you still do." He nodded at the three girls staying there. "We will never forget your kindness."

"We will keep in touch," Kurama promised. "It won't be very frequent, but we'll search for a way to come here and return safely."

"Have a safe journey home." Now that the good-byes were out of the way, Yusuke pushed the button that Koenma gave them and they all watched a portal form where the gate was.

_I'll miss them. How will we explain this to the people at home? How will we explain it to Michael?_ These thoughts went through Kagome's head as she bid farewell to the people and her former housemates. "We'll miss you, and when we find a way to get messages across, we'll write."

Facing the gate within the gate, they walked through, her and Robin last. As the portal sucked them in, they watched the town slowly disappear into the darkness. Then, they were across, back in the woods where they first disappeared. Before their eyes, the portal closed, preventing anyone else from coming through and going back.

_They're really gone._ She had known that, but for some reason it hadn't really hit her until just then, when the gate closed right in front of her face. They had all gotten close during their stay in Makai, and there was almost a physical ache in her heart when they set back out for home. The ones who seemed most depressed were Kurama and Ryo. _I guess they gave their hearts away, and they didn't get them back before we left._

"Now all we have to do is let everyone at home know that we didn't die," she said mournfully to the people around her. They split, Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Kurama going one way, while the rest of them trudged back to the Higurashi Shrine. After the incredibly long flight of stairs was out of the way, they made their way to the house, sorrow slowing them down. A shriek from the inside alerted them that they had been spotted. A small boy flung himself onto Kagome, yelling, "Kagome! You're back!"

"Sota," she whispered her younger brother's name, hugging him back. "I missed you."

By this time, everyone in the house came piling out, even those not supposed to be there, a.k.a. the people from the Feudal Era. They were surrounded and bombarded with questions, which they tried to answer the best they could. Out of the corner of her eye, Kagome saw Robin talking quietly with Michael, whose head was bowed and his shoulders were shaking. _I know it's wrong of me, but I'm glad she's doing it so I don't have to._

Once all the tears and scolding (and swearing) were done, they were led into the house. "Do you know how long you've been gone?" Mia demanded once they were all sitting at the table and eating.

"Um, a long time?" Kento ventured.

"Try a WHOLE MONTH!" she thundered. Everyone cowered in their seats; who knew such a nice woman had such a huge and scary voice?

"We didn't mean to be gone so long," Ryo said in a lost voice. "We had to locate the demon in order to get home, and then kill him."

That concluded that conversation. Everyone went to bed, still feeling sad at the loss of three of their friends. When they got up, Mia announced that it was time to leave. "I know I didn't get much time to get to know you," she explained, "but my school starts next week, so I need to get back."

"I understand," she said. "Maybe we can do this next summer, except I'll try not to run off into Makai."

More good-byes were said, and Mia left with Yuli and the five boys that they had gotten to know so well, even if they were colder than ice when they first met. Now all that were left were the original housemates and the shard hunters.

"Do you think we'll see them again?" Sota asked, who had gotten close to Yuli during their stay.

"Yeah, I think so. I don't know when, but something tells me we'll be seeing them again," Kagome responded.

"Are you okay, Oneesan?" he asked, concerned.

"Yeah, I'm just tired. Everyone seems to be disappearing right before my eyes. I don't know who'll be next, and it's bothering me." Her voice was distant.

Inuyasha came up from behind her and put an arm around her shoulders. "I'll never disappear," he promised her. "No matter what, I'll always be there for you."

She leaned into him. "Thank you," she whispered. Staying in that position for a moment, she realized how much she missed him and the others. "We need to get ready for when school starts," she sighed. "Let's enjoy what time we have left of summer." Cheers greeted that statement, and they prepared to enjoy what time was left to them. They were happy that they were back, but Crystal, Jordan, and Serena would remain in their thoughts for the rest of the summer.

End of Story 3

**Okay, like the line above says, this is the end. If anyone wants another one posted, then just let me know. If you think it should end here, then let me know that, too.**


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